Final Kill
by AzaryaTsuki
Summary: The life of an assassin is hard. Especially when you try to keep it from the ones closest to you. Will Iruka be able to shake his former life to protect his little brother? KashiRuka(possible SasuNaru on the side) Rated M for violence, language, and M/M citrus later on. AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This was inspired by DarkAuroran's fanfiction Stranger Situations and was posted with her permission! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters depicted here. Or anything else. Just the plot (and that's kind of iffy since I have no idea what's going to happen xD). And the song I was listening to during writing this is Aura by Thomas Bergerson.

...

The assassin crept through the darkened halls of the mansion, searching for his target. He was always careful to stay in the shadows. The security cameras he had mapped out were motion sensitive, but if they could not see him, they would not activate. The full bodied, skin-tight black outfit helped things a bit. The thought of how ninja-like his gear looked almost brought a smirk to his scarred face. Iruka once more schooled his features beneath his mask into seriousness as he neared his destination. A streak of light spilled across the corridor as a door was opened and four burly men stepped out of it. Bodyguards.

_Shit._ That was the room he needed to get into. _Time for plan B._

Iruka dashed into the nearest doorway before he could be detected. He had already memorized the blueprints and floor plans of the entire building and planned multiple points of entry for the assassination. His eyes roved the new environment and found what he was looking for: a heating duct. That specific heating duct went right the next room and was just big enough for him to crawl through, allowing him the access he required. This needed to be done swiftly and silently. One stupid mistake could cost him _everything._

The lone assassin peeked through the slats of metal and saw his objective signing papers at a desk. Minutes went by as the assassin calculated his next move, waiting for the guards to close the door. Luckily, the corrupt CEO dismissed them abruptly and turned in his swivel chair, putting his back to the heating duct. _It looks like tonight's my lucky night_, he observed as he listened to the receding footsteps of the guards.

Taking the knife from the hidden compartment on his thigh, Iruka got to work on the screws of the grate quietly. The second grate was tricky, but he got the screws undone nonetheless. The CEO sighed softly from his chair and Iruka froze, holding his breath. It was now or never, he decided. He tossed the piece of metal forward and out of his way; the faint clang was further muffled by the plush carpet. Startled, the man turned in his chair just as Iruka lunged forward with his knife at the ready.

The man did not even have time to yell for help. The blade sank into his trachea to the hilt with little blood and virtually no pain. Iruka had felt the scrape of metal against bone, meaning he had successfully severed the spinal cord. A clean kill. He knew it was impractical to use a knife for an assassination, but it was very hard to conceal a sniper rifle in a travel case. Not for the first time, Iruka cursed the call he got while on vacation.

He removed the knife from the limp body carefully and laid the note from his employer on the desk in front of the body. Iruka had no idea why his client would be reckless enough to do such a thing, but the man's ego was insufferable. Orders were orders, however, and he shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. It was not over yet. He turned to leave when a picture frame near the edge of the desk caught Iruka's attention.

Suddenly curious, he picked it up gently and saw the recently deceased CEO standing by a lake with a small child resting on his shoulders. The little girl could not have been more than 5 or 6 years old and looked remarkably like the man in the photo. The dead man had a family, a daughter.

Iruka closed his eyes from the onslaught of emotion that overtook him. The faces of father and daughter had shown such mirth in the photo, the killer's heart squeezed when he realized what he had just taken away from an innocent child. The same thing he had lost when he was her age. Images of his own childhood assaulted his mind brutally. Blood was everywhere and his parents were lying dead on the floor of his home because they tried to protect him.

At that moment, he had wished he had never taken the job. He wished he had never become an assassin, not that he wanted to in the first place. The memories of all his past kills, the families he destroyed, flitted through his mind rapidly, leaving the brunette feeling oddly saddened.

Iruka shook his head in defiance of his feelings and put the picture back in its place. _What's done is done, there's no going back,_ he told himself_._ Now, the assassin had only to escape through the shadows unnoticed. Piece of cake.

As he turned to leave yet again, the door was thrust open and hurried words were heard about unconscious guards at the gate. Iruka had not expected them to find the men that quickly. Not good. All four huge bodyguards surged into the room, eyes wild and alert as they surveyed the area. Immediately, their gazes locked on Iruka and, too late, they realized what had happened. Iruka's mind spun as he tried to think about what to do.

This was bad. This was _very bad_.

One of them was pointing a condemning finger, screaming, "Murderer!"

While his title was true, it still stung. Protocol called for absolutely no witnesses, but the lone assassin was outnumbered. Yes, he could take them all if he had had the time. Unfortunately, time was something he had little of and he did not intend to waste it on guards who could prove to be more troublesome than they were worth. Besides, his mask covered his entire head except for a slit for the eyes, so there was no way he could be identified and his gloves hid his fingerprints.

Instead of killing the guards, Iruka quickly reached into the tiny pack attached to his inner forearm, pulled out two small orbs, and smashed them against the floor. They filled the room with acrid, pepper smoke, making everyone's eyes instantly water. It was the perfect distraction for the guards, giving Iruka enough time to leap through the open window behind him and escape into the night. He landed on the hard packed ground with bent knees and froze.

The night was filled with light and sounds of dogs baying as the grounds were searched for the assassin. It was a wonder he had not heard the commotion before he dove out of the window. _Shit._

_So much for hiding in the shadows_, he thought bitterly, mentally kicking himself.

As quickly as he was able, he darted into the shrubbery close to the building for some sort of cover. Iruka made his way down the side of the building, heading for the woodland behind the structure. Sure, he had messed up his escape, but he always had a backup plan.

He could hear the hounds hot on his trail behind him, barking madly. Panic began to seep into his mind unbidden and was violently shoved into the recesses of his consciousness. The panic-induced adrenaline was put to good use when he sprinted through the low cut grass and burst through the line of trees.

As the nimble assassin continued to jump over fallen branches, his body began screaming at him to stop and breathe. The shouts behind him grew faint from the delay of the forest. Even so, they made the man ignore his body's protests and push himself to go faster. He could not get caught. He _would_ not get caught. Not with everything at stake. Blond hair and blue eyes filled his mind's eye as he hurtled himself through the woods. He neared the electrified fence that bordered the property and climbed the tree he had quickly deemed sturdy and tall enough to get him over the barrier.

Iruka cautiously made his way onto a branch overhanging the fence, cursing the need to take his time to avoid breaking the tree limb. His legs jarred from the impact upon landing on the hard packed earth for the second time that night. The barking and shouting came closer, but it just made Iruka smirk. He could lose them easily from this point and did just that.

The assassin kept running through the woods until he found the creek he had discovered a few hours before. Like any good assassin, he had scoped out the security and found out about the hounds beforehand. He took a quick dip in the stream to wash away his scent and waded carefully upstream until he was a good distance away from his entry point. Water rolled off of him as he exited and he was careful to only step on rocks to avoid leaving a trail of footprints.

Iruka's heart rate started to calm down as he made his way over to the hollowed out tree that he hid his normal clothes in only hours before. He could hear the sirens as he removed his mask and quickly changed into his long sleeved shirt and jeans, but he was not concerned about it anymore. They have never caught him before and they never will. All that was left was to report to his client and rescue the most precious thing in the world to him. Iruka's long brown hair hung low into his eyes annoyingly, but in his haste, he had forgotten to pack a hair-tie with his gear and had to leave his hair down.

He was zipping up his pants when the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up, sending tingles down his spine. He was not alone and Iruka's instincts have never proven wrong before. He whipped around and checked his surroundings. Nothing.

There was no one there.

Confused by the false alarm, he turned back to finish packing his things and stopped dead in his tracks, nose to nose with a stranger. The only thing Iruka could see were the pair of mismatched eyes that trapped his gaze. The eyes were like nothing he had ever seen. One was such a dark grey it was almost black, while the other was blood red with three comma-like marks surrounding the pupil.

"Gotcha," the stranger whispered. Entranced in that uneven gaze, Iruka watched as the markings in the red eye slowly began to spin. Round and round they went, fascinating the dark haired man despite having been caught. "Sleep," the deep voice before him commanded.

Without his permission, Iruka's body immediately went slack and his mind slipped into the dark oblivion of sleep as the stranger had told him to.

...

Iruka woke up to the feel of a cold, wooden floor pressed against his cheek. The ache between his shoulder blades and press of rope against his wrists told him they were tied behind his back. He cracked one bleary eye to take in his surroundings. From his view point on the floor, he could see the legs of a chair against the wall and the only source of light in the room came from the moonlight streaming in from the window. The air smelled musty and damp with an overlay of years of dust. Abandoned building, he guessed.

He refrained from wrinkling his nose in distaste and expanded his hearing as far as he could, searching for any sign of his captor. It was strangely humiliating to have been caught so easily. He could not even remember how it happened. Iruka was just packing his things to leave and then… what? No memory surfaced from his thoughts and frustrated the man further. Hearing nothing but the faint breeze coming in from the window, Iruka tried to sit up to better get his bearings.

He was in a very small room with the chair being the only piece of furniture present. A door stood slightly ajar behind him, just a sliver of blackness where the moonlight could not reach it. Needing the use of his hands, Iruka lay on his back and slowly maneuvered his wrists over his rump. Finally, he pulled his legs out from the loop of his arms and got to his feet. It would be easier to defend himself this way and it gave him a better view of the knot that bound him. It was simple, but efficient in the way that it tightened the more he pulled.

Iruka looked around for anything he could use to cut the rope and came up empty, he had removed all of his weapons and gear before being caught. He played with the idea of breaking the window and using the sharp edge of the glass to cut it, but dismissed it quickly. He did not want his captor to know that he had awoken. Even then, Iruka knew he had precious moments to figure out an escape route. He needed to get out of there as soon as possible. The assassin quickly strode to the window and looked down. They seemed to be at least four stories above the ground. The building was not one he recognized from this angle, but he did recognize the surrounding area.

Iruka was smack in the middle of one of the abandoned Industrial Districts of New York. The wind carried the musty scent he noticed earlier. It must be a trait shared with abandoned buildings. He looked up to survey any possible ways to climb safely and found none. He cursed under his breath and weighed the options of walking out of the door behind him. No matter what, Iruka had to report his success soon. He did not want Naruto to be in any more danger than he needed to be.

"You know, jumping wouldn't be your best option." A voice spoke from the darkness, causing Iruka to jump. Even with all of his senses on hyper-alert, someone had been able to sneak up on him. Remarkable.

Slowly, Iruka turned to face the owner of the voice and was met with a tall, muscular man slouched against the doorframe. He was wearing all black, much like Iruka had for the assassination. He even wore a mask that covered the bottom half of his face. The only difference was the off-black hoodie that he wore. The hood was up, covering his hair and left eye, and the pockets bulged from where the stranger's hands rested in them. All in all, the stranger's posture was lazy and nonchalant right down to the single black, half-lidded eye that watched him.

It was unsettling at how relaxed the other man looked. It made Iruka wonder how the other man had been able to subdue him, a master assassin, so easily. There was no pain in his skull to indicate being struck to the head. His mind felt clear and there was no sting from a tranquilizer dart anywhere on his body. How had the stranger done it? More importantly, who was he?

Iruka eyed the taller man warily, trying not to fidget with the ropes encircling his wrists, and looked for any possible weaknesses. "Who are you?" he asked, more to distract the other man than to voice his own curiosity.

The dark eye almost seemed to curve upwards as if he were smirking. "Uh-uh-uh," he responded, shaking a finger at the smaller man. "What good would it do to tell you now, when keeping you guessing is so much more fun?" his voice was like liquid velvet. Smooth and deep. Iruka imagined the face that went with the voice would have been equally as attractive.

The brunette snapped his thoughts out of that direction. He needed to concentrate on his escape and he needed to know how big of a threat the stranger was to him. Considering his bound hands and previous state of unconsciousness, he was looking to be a pretty big threat. Not for the first time that night, Iruka cursed his lack of a weapon or anything to get his hands free. Carefully keeping his face blank, Iruka asked, "What do you want?"

The stranger took a moment to consider the question, weighing it in his mind. "What I want isn't important at the moment. My employer, however, wants you dead," he said, the one visible eye curving again with an odd glint.

"So, you're here to kill me then," Iruka stated, not showing an ounce of the fear he felt. Though, the fear was not for himself. It was for Naruto. Iruka refused to think about what would happen to the teenager if he failed to report to his client. "It shouldn't surprise me, he added grudgingly.

The dark stranger stayed silent for another moment in thought. "No," he said simply.

After a few moments of waiting for the man to elaborate, Iruka asked impatiently, "No, what? No, you're not here to kill me or no I shouldn't be surprised?" The larger man's vague antics were quickly growing stale.

"Both."

Iruka let out an exasperated grunt. "What the hell do you mean?"

"It shouldn't surprise you that I am here to kill you," he said simply. "But, I'm not going to." The odd smile left the eye as he gazed at the bound assassin, analyzing him from head to toe. The gleam in the stranger's eye made him look strangely predatory. "What is your name?" he asked suddenly, glancing back up to meet Iruka's suspicious gaze.

Iruka could not stop the scoff that escaped his lips. He asked dryly, "You honestly think I'm going to tell you my name when you refused to tell me yours?" Not that he was going to give his name at all. Only a fool gave their name in his profession.

"I never refused such a thing," he said. As Iruka began to protest, he continued, "You asked who I was, not for my name."

All Iruka could do was stare at the taller man in frustration. "Fine, then," he replied stiffly. "What is your name?"

"Kakashi," the man replied immediately. The honesty in his tone caught Iruka off guard. He had not expected the other assassin to give him an answer. It had to be a lie. What kind of assassin gave their name? "This is the part where you tell me your name. It's only polite, after all," Kakashi prompted quietly.

Iruka's eyes narrowed. "Takumo," he lied smoothly. Two could play at this game. This was a waste of time.

"There," Kakashi said calmly. "Was that so hard?"

"Why does it matter?" Iruka asked in return.

"I told you. It's polite." He sounded serious. What was he playing at?

"If you're not going to kill me, can I go now?" Iruka asked harshly. "I'm on a bit of a tight schedule, if you don't mind." He took a couple of menacing steps forward, staying in a position that could flow from defense to offence easily. When Kakashi stood up from his slouching position on the doorframe, Iruka froze. Kakashi was bigger than he thought; nearly an entire head taller and much broader in the shoulders than the dark-haired assassin.

He stepped closer to Iruka slowly, posture still relaxed. The smaller assassin stood his ground and stared defiantly into the single black eye, calculating how he could take him down. Kakashi finally moved into the patch of moonlight and Iruka noticed silver hair peeking out from beneath the hood of the jacket. He also saw that Kakashi's other eye was not just hidden by the hood; it was covered by a piece of black cloth. Iruka briefly wondered what could be hidden beneath it. A flash of red flitted through his memories only to be lost a moment later. Kakashi stopped his advance just before his chest could come into contact with Iruka's raised hands.

In the blink of an eye, fingers wrapped around one of Iruka's bound wrists and held firm as he jumped in an attempt to back away. Long, pale fingers gripped the brunette's wrist while Kakashi's other hand pulled out a wicked looking knife. Under any other circumstances, Iruka would have admired the workmanship on the blade. At that moment, however, he could only picture wide blue eyes pleading with him to survive.

Iruka began to thrash around to jostle the larger man's grip and gain the upper hand, but the strong fingers only held tighter. "Hold still," he commanded softly, pointing the blade carefully away from their bodies when Iruka had begun to struggle. That one observation stopped Iruka in his tracks. Why would he point it away if he was going to kill him? Moonlight glinted off the blade as it darted forward and Iruka closed his eyes as he waited for the pain.

When he felt nothing happen, he slowly opened his eyes to observe the man in front of him. The single black eye looked back steadily, showing slight mirth at Iruka's obvious confusion. There was an odd scratching sensation on his wrist and when Iruka looked down to see what caused it, he saw the ropes that had restrained him were neatly cut and falling to the floor. They landed with an inaudible heap and Kakashi let go of Iruka's wrist. The warm fingers slid against the fabric of Iruka's shirt as they fell back to their owner's side. Cold seeped in to replace the lingering warmth and Iruka almost wished Kakashi had not removed his hand. Almost.

The smaller assassin gripped his sore wrists tenderly, easing the ache where the rope had dug in too hard. "Thank you," he whispered, letting the barest amount of true gratitude to colour his tone. He moved to walk past Kakashi and get a shot at the back of his head. Unfortunately, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"One more thing, _Takumo_," Kakashi whispered. There was an emphasis on the fake name that made warning bells ring in Iruka's head.

The larger male turned the shorter towards him, their chests and faces were barely inches apart and Iruka could feel the heat radiating between their bodies. Damn, it had been too long since Iruka had felt that kind of warmth. He found himself leaning into the touch slightly, despite himself. That masked face was just so close…

Before he could utter a word, Kakashi's other eye was uncovered and what stared back was a crimson iris. It truly was mesmerizing as the black marks rotated around the pupil. "Forget about me. When you leave this place, you will forget about our little encounter and not remember a thing that happened after the assassination."

Numbly, Iruka nodded his head in understanding. "Good," Kakashi said quietly. "Now go."

Robotically, Iruka moved past the silver-haired man and walked through the door. He found some stairs and took them all the way to the ground floor and exited the abandoned building. The assassin did not even turn to see what kind of building he had just come from. As soon as he was out of the Industrial District, he finally regained his senses.

He took one look around and wondered what the hell had happened. How did he get here? Where was here? More importantly, what time was it? He looked down at his watch and pressed a button on the side to make the digital numbers glow. 1:24 a.m.

Shit. _Shit!_

Iruka glanced around frantically, trying to figure out his location. He had somewhere he needed to be, and he needed to be there over twenty minutes ago. He checked his pockets for his cell phones only to find them empty, save for his wallet. How the hell could he have forgotten his cell phones?! He raced down the street toward the sound of civilization and looked at the nearest street sign. Iruka was miles away from where he needed to be and getting a cab in this city was nearly impossible at this time of night. All of the bar hoppers would be using them right now. Iruka cursed again and started running, plowing through crowds of people and not caring if they fell. He had no time to waste. Who knew what they had already done to Naruto?

Iruka crossed a few streets and had to dodge traffic every time, but he was making progress. Extremely slow progress in his opinion._ Damn it! What had I been doing in that place anyway?_ Iruka yelled at himself as he narrowly missed getting clipped by a truck. Luck seemed to smile down at him as he noticed a couple getting out of a yellow cab. He jumped into the backseat before anyone else could claim the vehicle.

"You seem to be in a hurry," the cab driver observed, noting the disheveled hair and breathlessness of his passenger.

"I am. Now please step on it," he replied and gave the directions to his destination. He could only hope that luck would continue to smile on him.

It seemed as though it did; the cab made its way through the maze of streets and came out the other side of the busy city with little delay. A few blocks away from his goal, he told the cabbie, "Stop. Here's good."

The car slowed and Iruka was out of the car before it even stopped. He began to walk away before a throat being cleared behind him reminded the assassin of cab fare. Iruka let out a frustrated sigh and searched his pockets for his wallet. Weird that he would forget his cell phones, but remember his wallet. Nonetheless, he pulled out more than enough money to pay for the ride and tossed it through the open passenger window. He heard a grunted thank you as he quickly made his way through the suburb, glancing from house to house.

Like everything else about his employer, he could not figure out why he had set the meeting place where he did. Iruka glanced down at his watch. It was almost 2 a.m. He had to hurry. He ran as fast as his body would let him, after all of the exertion he had already put on his body that night. He ran all the way to the richer part of the suburb, where the houses grew farther and farther apart, and finally stepped up to the one he needed. He pounded on the door and waited, nerves frayed from worry. When the door opened, Iruka's heart nearly beat out of his chest.

"Ah, Mr. Assassin. You're late," observed the doorman. Iruka gave him an impatient scowl and shoved past him, into the large house. Ignoring Iruka's rudeness, the doorman gestured for Iruka to follow him to the upstairs part of the house. There was only one lit room, so Iruka needed no assistance from there.

He stalked into the room and faced his client with a blank face and straight shoulders. "Mission accomplished, sir." Iruka said in a monotone. The man before him was much shorter than Iruka and had thinning grey hair. The spectacles on his nose teetered dangerously as the man looked at Iruka over them.

"You're late, assassin," he growled. He had never bothered to learn Iruka's name, just as Iruka had never learned his. That was the way Iruka liked it.

"I was delayed, but the mission is accomplished as promised," Iruka replied in the same monotone. "Now, where is Na- my brother?" He caught himself before he let Naruto's name slip.

"He's still knocked out in the next room, unharmed, as promised."

"Good, now you can pay me and get this over with," demanded Iruka, impatience leaking into his voice. He did not want Naruto to awaken anytime soon. They said they had given him enough sedatives to keep him asleep for the whole night, but Naruto's body recovered very quickly and would most likely burn through the drug in a couple hours. Iruka prayed to whoever was listening that they could make it to the airport before Naruto woke up.

The other man simply looked at Iruka. Then, he did the most unsurprising thing Iruka could think of. His client began to laugh heartily as if told the best joke he had ever heard. The assassin refused to let his weariness show on his face. "You really are as dumb as you look! Did you really think I was going to pay you? Since that lazy bum couldn't kill you off, perhaps this will."

At some unseen signal, six men stepped into the room from a side door holding various weapons. This was getting old. Three of Iruka's previous employers had tried to do the exact same thing to avoid payment.

The assassin let out a harsh breath and looked at all of the thugs in turn, debating on where to start given his weaponless situation. Only one of them had a gun, and it just had to be the one farthest away from him. At least it had a silencer so they would not wake Naruto. _Might as well get this over with_, Iruka thought.

As soon as Iruka made his lunge to the side, he heard the bullet whizz by him harmlessly. He needed to be quicker or the thug would likely empty the clip before he could get to it. The thug closest to him was holding an old fashioned bat and aimed for Iruka's head. It was easily dodged as Iruka got behind the behemoth of a man just as another shot was heard. Thug number one grunted in front of Iruka and fell to his knees, clutching his chest.

Wasting no time, Iruka grabbed the bat from the floor and dispatched Thugs two and three with quick hits to their skulls. The sickening crunch of bone beneath wood made Iruka's stomach churn, but he could not stop.

Before a third shot could go off, Iruka launched the bat at the shooter and managed to knock the pistol from his hands with a curse. As Thug number six scrambled to pick it back up, Thugs four and five charged the master assassin. One had a crowbar and the other had a rusted pipe that looked like it would break after one hit.

Iruka let the one with the pipe hit his arm as he blocked, making it split just as he had predicted. The end was made into a sharp, jagged piece of metal. Thug number four stumbled after the break and gave Iruka the opening to snatch the pipe away from him.

Iruka sidestepped the blow from Thug number five and plunged the sharp, broken end of the pipe into Thug number four's throat before yanking it out savagely. Blood sprayed hot and sticky over his sleeve, but Iruka paid it no mind. Thug number four fell, spasming and gagging on the floor, and somehow caused Thug number five to trip.

Quick as lightning, Iruka lashed out with the pipe and sliced open the other man's knuckles. His hands automatically released the crowbar right into Iruka's waiting grasp. In one quick movement, Iruka swung the curved end of the crowbar into Thug Five's face and threw the jagged pipe expertly into Thug Six's chest just as he was about to point the gun at Iruka.

Both men fell in a heap and Iruka calmly stepped over their bodies, avoiding the growing puddle of blood, to grab the pistol and point it at the retreating form that was his client. Iruka did not earn the title of 'master assassin' lightly.

Fear glistened in the older man's eyes as the barrel of the gun pointed at him. "Now, now. Let's not be ha—" His words cut off as Iruka pulled the trigger and shot his client in the center of his forehead. Iruka already knew that if his client did not intend on allowing Iruka to live, Naruto would have been next to be killed. Iruka would never let that happen.

The door he had entered through creaked open and the doorman stepped in with a smile on his face. "Sir, would you like your tea, now that the assassin is…" He trailed off as he realized Iruka was the only one standing in the room. The old man's eyes only had time to register shock before a bullet was put between his eyebrows. No witnesses.

The old man's body had not even hit the ground before Iruka was on the move. He had to remove all evidence of his presence here and check for any other potential witnesses in the house. He did it effortlessly from experience. Removing fingerprints and searching for stray hair had become part of his routine after every kill. Iruka had only just gotten to use his all black cat suit on this mission because it was given to him by his client to avoid any evidence being left at all. It had done its job, but now he had no idea where it was. He decided to worry about it later.

Finding no one else in the house, Iruka left the room to collect his brother. Naruto was not his brother by blood, but he was close enough. They had only just finished the paperwork a couple of weeks ago to make Iruka Naruto's legal guardian, but they had been together much longer than that. Iruka was not about to let something like this take him away, especially not after what they had been through.

He found Naruto sprawled on the bed unharmed as promised. The whisker-like scars on his cheeks stretched and contracted as he snored open-mouthed. Despite the situation, Iruka actually let out a snort of amusement before walking over to the teen and putting his arms under him to carry the sleeping boy.

"You got heavier," he grunted to the limp form in his arms as he straightened. It made him smile when Naruto instinctively snuggled closer to him as he did when he was younger. "Let's go home," he whispered.

As he stepped from the house, he sighed wistfully, remembering his lack of a cell phone to call a cab. So, he began his long trek to the nearest public building in search of a phone. Thankfully, Naruto had chosen New York as their vacation spot this year. No one questioned a blood spattered man carrying an unconscious teenager into the gas station. He asked the clerk if he could use the phone and they handed him the cordless without even glancing up from the magazine they were reading. Iruka did not care about the lack of customer service, he was just happy to have the phone. He dialed the number for the cab company and waited for the dull yellow car pull into the lot.

Carefully, he buckled in the sleeping blond and quietly gave the driver directions to the motel they were staying, ignoring the suspicious looks he was given in his bloody state. Iruka was glad when the driver shrugged and let go of whatever he was thinking. He had probably seen weirder passengers.

When they arrived, he changed his clothes and quickly washed off any flecks of blood from his skin. Everything was packed in record time and Iruka gave the place a quick wipe down to get rid of all their prints. The cab was packed quickly and they were off to the airport.

It was an amazing stroke of luck that today was their day to head back to Japan. Iruka would just have to pay a couple fees for an earlier flight and then they would be on their way home with Naruto none the wiser of what had happened. Naruto did not know about Iruka's other life, the life as an assassin, and he planned to keep it that way. He could just tell him something came up with a friend back home, so they had to catch an earlier flight and he did not want to wake Naruto so early in the morning.

Iruka nodded to himself as the airport came into view, that is exactly what he would tell Naruto. Personally, Iruka hated lying, but it was necessary to protect his little brother and he would do anything to make sure the teenager stayed safe.

Glancing down at his watch showed that it was nearly 4:30 a.m. as he plucked the sleeping boy from the car and paid the cab driver. He carefully leaned Naruto's weight against his side as he carried both of their bags into the main building. The driver had offered his help, but Iruka waved him away politely.

After situating Naruto into a chair semi-comfortably, Iruka strode up to one of the lines to wait for his turn. The entire time he was waiting, he kept a very close eye on everyone in the room. Particularly, a sleeping blond.

When it finally came, he successfully changed the time on the tickets to the flight out of New York in an hour. Before, it would have been a straight trip to the Tokyo International Airport, but he could deal with a couple of stops between here and there as long as he got out of New York. Iruka sat down heavily beside Naruto and finally let his mind slow down and think about things other than immediate survival. Unsurprisingly, the assassin found himself wondering how they had gotten into this situation at all.

Iruka had stepped out to get breakfast from Naruto's favourite fast food place when he had gotten a call on his special cell phone. He knew exactly why this person was calling, although he had no idea how they had gotten the number. Nonetheless, he grudgingly took the job and met up with his now deceased client. After he was done, he had taken the packet of information and new gear and left to scope out the target area, typing Naruto a quick message from his personal cell phone about traffic and telling him not to eat the furniture while he was gone.

Now that he looked back, it probably was not the best idea to go back to the hotel to gather the weapons hidden in various compartments in his luggage. Iruka figured that that was how they had found Naruto later on.

He had just set out for the mission when his business phone vibrated. He answered to hear that they had Naruto drugged up and waiting for the success of the mission. That was when Iruka had been given the time limit that pushed him forward with his plans. Now, he sat victorious in his endeavors and felt strangely sickened and exhausted.

The exhaustion was easy enough to reason out; Iruka had been awake for nearly twenty-four hours and engaged in serious physical activity. The sick feeling in his mind and gut was not a new sensation, but definitely an unexpected one. He had killed before and had no qualms about it. However, Iruka quickly figured out the reason why this time was so different.

This time, Naruto was put into harm's way.

About fifteen minutes before it was time to board the plane, Naruto finally stirred from his drug induced slumber. He glanced around lazily, taking in his new surroundings. When he finally laid his eyes on Iruka, he asked groggily, "_Why the hell are we at the airport_?"

There were a few glances from other people around the duo. In his sleepy state, Naruto had accidentally spoken in Japanese. Iruka felt no reason not to respond in the same. "_Kotetsu called me a little while ago. He said that he needed my help, so I figured we could head out early since we didn't have any plans for today_," he said, rubbing at the edge of the scar on his nose.

"_But how did we get here_?" he asked, squinting his eyes around the room again.

"_I carried you. You were sleeping so deeply that I didn't want to wake you,_" Iruka replied truthfully. Naruto was usually good at telling when someone was lying, but it seemed like he was too tired to notice. "_And now that you're up, you can carry your own bag. It's almost time to get on the plane_."

Naruto grumbled something under his breath about waking up this early being illegal and grabbed his bag obediently. They walked to the boarding line and handed the attendant their tickets. Just as they stepped through the doors, Iruka noticed a shock of silver hair board the plane. It was odd how familiar it looked. He shook his head and got on the plane, taking his seat next to Naruto. They were finally on their way home.

Several times during the flight, Iruka caught himself just looking at Naruto and being thankful that he was not hurt. Perhaps it was a good thing that Iruka had lost his special cell phone. He had almost lost the only family he had. Remembering that, Iruka thought about all of the families he had taken away and finally felt the guilt of it.

It did not matter if the only jobs he would take were ones that involved bad people. That did not mean that those closest to them were equally guilty. What would it have done to Naruto if those thugs had succeeded in killing him? Granted, they probably planned on killing him next, but Naruto should never have been put in that situation in the first place.

Finally, Iruka made a decision. If it meant that Naruto would never get put through danger ever again, Iruka would stop being an assassin. That last job would be his final kill. He would make sure of that.

...

A/N: Thank you all for reading! Let me know if you liked it or not! I actually have a goal to get at least 100 reviews on any one of my fanfictions, so feel free to drop one and help out a bit! Thanks again! If I can get at least 5 reviews, I just might give you more of this story!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm back with another chapter! Just assume all of the dialogue is in Japanese unless it says otherwise… I don't feel like italicizing all of the talking. Oh, and I have no idea what Japanese schooling is like other than what I've seen in other animes so bear with me please…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Those are Kishimoto's.

...

"Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka glanced up from the book he was reading to address his student. It had been a few weeks since he had gotten home from vacation with Naruto and he was now back to his job of teaching at the high school near their home. He had always thought it odd to have the contradicting professions he has –err _had_, he corrected himself. One job taught young adults how to survive in the real world, and the other took people out of it.

His hand travelled unconsciously to the pocket that usually held his special cell phone, only to feel the absence of the object. Iruka had never realized how familiar that weight felt until it was gone. Man was he glad that weight was gone.

"Yes, Sakura-chan? What do you need?" Iruka answered the pink haired girl. She was one of the brightest in the class and the work he had given them was relatively easy. Iruka wondered what she could possibly need help with.

"I was just wondering…" Sakura paused to scratch at her cheek nervously. "Are we really going to get a new student? I heard he was really cute…" She trailed off again as all of the females in the room started whispering behind their hands. _As if that really hides anything_, Iruka thought dryly.

He sighed before answering, addressing the whole class, "Yes, we are going to be having a new student starting tomorrow and I expect all of you to be on your best behavior!" Might as well minimize the excited whispering that would follow the next day, he thought.

The bell rang to signal the end of the day, saving Iruka from any further questions. It was only the second week of school and the kids were already vanishing from their seats as soon as the bell rings. _Must be trying to make the best of the warm weather_, Iruka mused, picking at the collar of his long sleeved shirt. Even Naruto was nowhere to be seen. He probably already left with Kiba-kun; Iruka remembered his younger brother mentioning plans with the other boy earlier that morning. Sighing at how quickly his students were growing up, the ex-assassin packed up his lesson plans and set out for his home.

It had been nearly a month since New York, but Iruka was still wary of every shadow he passed. He kept getting the feeling that he was being watched, even though he could never find an assessing pair of eyes anywhere. His senses insisted on the contrary, however, and they were never wrong. Then again, people would be sneaking glances at someone crazy enough to wear a long sleeved turtleneck when it was so hot out.

Iruka was so preoccupied with scanning the crowd for any suspicious glances cast his way when he actually ran into someone.

Stunned, Iruka retreated with a hasty apology and a bow of his head. When he glanced up to see whom he had run into, his first sight was spiky silver hair. With such an absurd hair colour, how had Iruka not seen them before now? The stranger turned around and regarded Iruka with one eye, holding an empty coffee cup. The contents of the cup had spilled down the front of the man's crisp, white t-shirt.

Iruka was horrified at what he had done. Hastily, he bowed at the waist, chanting apologies. "Please, allow me to pay to have that cleaned for my clumsiness," he pleaded. He did not want to take any chances in possibly offending someone with this man's build. Iruka could not help but marvel at the amazing muscle tone the coffee-soaked shirt now sported, at the same time trying to ignore the spark of attraction it provoked.

The silver-haired man simply tilted his head to the side curiously. "Maa, it's just a shirt," he replied nonchalantly. "I can easily buy a new one."

"Please, let me pay for it, sir. It is the least I can do," Iruka insisted. On top of not wanting to offend the man, Iruka also had his pride. If he made such an offer, he would not retract it easily. The man's sex appeal had nothing to do with it, Iruka convinced himself.

The stranger considered his offer, tapping his chin with his empty cup. Now that Iruka's attention was brought up to the man's face, he actually had to refrain from widening his eyes. The man was absolutely stunning with a straight nose, strong jaw, and thin lips that held the hidden promises most people could only dream about. It was all oddly completed by the black silk fabric that covered his left eye.

"How about this," the stranger replied. "I let you buy me a new coffee and we can both sit and have a nice chat. Fair enough?" The man's lips were as mesmerizing as his voice when they moved. Iruka found himself nodding before another thought passed through his mind. The stranger smirked and Iruka's stomach did a back-flip because of how downright sexy it looked.

Iruka's mind snapped back into action when he felt the unfamiliar weight of an arm being slung over his shoulders. He had to stop himself from flipping his newfound acquaintance onto the sidewalk as an instinct. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he politely shrugged off the arm and gestured for the man to lead. "After you, Mr…?"

"Hatake Kakashi," the silver-haired man replied politely. He put his hand out to shake and Iruka took it. Kakashi's eye shone with mischief as he said, "Pleased to meet you, Umino-san."

Iruka paled slightly, but remained in control of his actions. He raised his eyebrow in silent question as he removed his hand from Kakashi's warm grip. The taller man's eye glittered with amusement before he finally gestured to Iruka's satchel with a kind smile. It took Iruka a moment before he let his suspicious gaze glance down to his bag. Understanding lit up in his mind as he saw the tag dangling from the zipper reading: Umino Iruka.

Embarrassment made Iruka's cheeks burn with a rush of blood. The ex-assassin was too paranoid for his own good. Here was this gorgeous man standing before him, wanting to have coffee together and all he could do was eye him suspiciously. He smiled and rubbed at the edge of the scar crossing his nose nervously. "Nice to meet you too, Hatake-san," Iruka chuckled finally. He had to fight the urge to roll up his sleeves against the heat of the day mixed with the heat of embarrassment.

Kakashi led the way to the air conditioned coffee shop and ordered them both coffees. True to his word, he allowed Iruka to pay for them before they sat down at an abandoned table. Each man examined the other silently, waiting for someone to begin a conversation. Iruka suddenly felt very awkward and had no idea what to do from there. He chuckled under his breath at his own nervousness. Iruka could kill without hesitation, but when it came to talking to attractive men, he was useless!

Kakashi tilted his head to the side curiously, a grin playing at the edge of his lips. "What's so funny over there?" he asked playfully.

"Ah, it's nothing… just a little ironic on my part." Iruka searched his mind for a plausible explanation. "I spend all day talking to teenagers, and yet I can't figure out how to talk to an adult my own age."

"You're right, that does sound rather ironic," Kakashi said, a grin dancing at the edge of his lips. He took a sip of his coffee and never once took his eye from Iruka. "So, you're a teacher?" he asked.

Thankful that the ice was now broken, Iruka relaxed into his chair and blew on his hot beverage before taking an experimental sip. Black with sugar, just the way he liked it. "Yeah, I'm a teacher at the high school a couple of blocks from here."

"What do you teach?" Kakashi leaned forward on his elbows to show he was listening.

"Actually, I'm a homeroom teacher, so I teach the basics of pretty much everything." It was getting easier to talk to this man, Iruka noticed. He had a certain aloofness that was almost contagious. "And what about you, Hatake-san? What do you do for a living?" he asked politely.

"I'm a businessman, actually. I just go from place to place, wherever I need to be," he answered nonchalantly, shrugging a shoulder. It amazed Iruka how casual and elegant the silver-haired man made such a simple gesture seem.

They chatted for a good while about everything and nothing, even after they had finished their coffees. Iruka noticed that the other man had not given much information about himself other than his career. At first he had found it odd, but Iruka himself knew the value of privacy and just enjoyed the conversation.

The conversation was abruptly interrupted by the buzzing sound of a phone vibrating. It turns out, both men's phones were vibrating and they exchanged polite nods and amused grins before turning away from each other to answer their respective calls.

Naruto was calling to see where Iruka was. Apparently, his plans had been cut a little short. Kiba's dog, Akamaru, had gotten sick and Kiba and his parents had rushed off to the vet to have him checked out. Naruto sounded a little miffed to be pushed aside like that, but he insisted that he understood why it happened. When Iruka told him where he was, Naruto picked up on Iruka's tone like a bloodhound on a game trail.

"You never drink coffee in the middle of the day! So, who are you there with? Is she cute?" Iruka's little brother always was more intuitive than he should be and he had absolutely no tact when it came to getting information. It was one of his more annoying, yet endearing, traits.

Iruka glanced over at his companion from the corner of his eye surreptitiously. He seemed to be deep into his phone conversation. Oddly enough, it did not sound like he was speaking Japanese. Iruka turned back and murmured his answer, "I ran into someone on the way home from work and accidentally made him spill his coffee on his shirt. I'll explain things when I get home."

"Wait, _him_? You're out with a guy? Is he hot? C'mon Ru, ya gotta give me something!" Naruto gushed, trying to get details out of his older brother. They knew that gender never mattered to either of them and it made them that much closer as brothers to know they would never be judged by the other.

Iruka snuck another glance over at Kakashi before he could stop himself. There was no denying the attraction he felt for him. "Yes," he whispered into the phone. "Now, I will talk to you when I get home. Make sure you try not to burn the house down if you get hungry." He snapped his new phone shut on his brother's inquiries and politely waited for Kakashi to finish his phone call.

Turning back to the table, Kakashi smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that, business call. Where were we?" he said, smirking flirtatiously with that sinful mouth of his.

Iruka stammered a little, losing his train of thought. He blinked a few times to break whatever trance Kakashi gaze had put him in. The brunette nervously looked down into his empty cup and rubbed at the edge of his scar again. Iruka said, "Actually, I have to get going. That was my little brother just now and it's about time I get home to make dinner before he starts gnawing on the furniture."

"Ahh, you never mentioned you had a brother," Kakashi said curiously.

Iruka smiled kindly back to the man, a smile that only the thought of his precious sibling could bring forth. "We're not related by blood, but the paperwork says differently. It was nice meeting you, Hatake-san."

"Please, call me Kakashi," he replied smoothly, reaching his hand out for a farewell shake. Iruka took the hand politely and felt a slip of paper crinkle against his palm before he was firmly pulled forward and forced to step closer to the other man. Iruka had to catch himself on Kakashi's shoulder to regain his balance. "Really," Kakashi whispered into his ear, "call me. Any time."

Just like that, Kakashi slipped away, leaving Iruka confused and blushing like mad. His face felt hot all the way to the tips of his ears and other parts of his anatomy were responding to the brief proximity he shared with the attractive businessman. Iruka quickly tipped the waitress that had served them and made his way out of the coffee shop to head home, ignoring all of the looks he got for wearing a sweater in hot weather.

Man did he have a story to tell Naruto later…

...

Kakashi blended into the crowd effortlessly. As soon as his brown-haired assassin finally stumbled out of the shop, he began to follow him just as he did a month ago. This was a much different circumstance, however. He found himself glad that he had given in to curiosity and not killed the little assassin right after he had pulled the knife from the corpse of his target…

Kakashi had already loaded his weapon and was aiming to kill the black-clad man from the shadows. He was in perfect alignment with his vitals with his finger on the trigger. Then, he saw the raw pain in the other man's eyes when he looked at a picture on the desk. Those expressive eyes captivated him in that moment. Pain in all forms flitted through the other assassin's dark eyes as clear as day; pain for others and pain for himself. Assassins were trained to turn off all emotions in order to become effective killing machines. How is it a man like that, who could obviously feel so much pain, had become such a skilled killer?

His moment of hesitation was just long enough for the guards to burst in the door and cause his quarry to flee. He had slipped silently out the door before the cloud of smoke could reach him. Kakashi may have lost sight of his target, but he could pick up a trail better than any hound could. Due to all of the guards being preoccupied with finding the other assassin, it was all too easy for Kakashi to slip off of the property and begin his search.

By the time he had found and followed the smaller assassin's trail, the man had already dressed in civilian clothes. The pants hung low enough to show a sliver of dark skin in the moonlight and Kakashi had to restrain himself from murmuring in appreciation when the other man had bent over and distracted him from his objective. His little assassin had a very appealing body and long dark hair that his fingers itched to comb through. It seemed as though there was a way to make an assassin feel during a job, although Kakashi paid the revelation no mind.

Unfortunately for his libido, Kakashi _did _have a job to do. He had been poised and ready with his gun once more in the abandoned warehouse when the dark-haired man began murmuring in his sleep. He only said one word over and over, "Naruto…"

From that point on, Kakashi could not bring himself to pull the trigger. His curiosity was killing him and he decided not to complete the job. After all, he had only taken it out of boredom and to relieve some frustrations of the day. It was pure coincidence that he was in New York at the time for a business meeting when he got the call. He was to eliminate another assassin after they had taken out their own target. Kakashi suspected it had something to do with avoiding payment; he had seen it done time and time again.

As Kakashi finished looking through the smaller man's pockets, he stirred with the beginnings of wakefulness and Kakashi glided like a ghost out of the room to observe his prisoner. He covered what skin he could with his dark clothing and watched from the crack in the doorway, two cell phones that he had confiscated weighing down his back pocket. He spoke up when he saw the other man contemplating something at the window.

The way the other man -Iruka, his wallet had said- responded to his vague answers was increasingly entertaining and perplexing for Kakashi. He could now understand how a suspicious, fiery man like that could become an assassin, but he could not figure out _why_. Even lying about his name had caused discomfort to shine in his eyes, despite his otherwise flawless delivery. So, he let the little assassin go after erasing his memory and followed him through the crowds until he dived into a cab. Kakashi wanted to know more about this dark-haired man, and he knew exactly how to do it.

Kakashi was not surprised when he found the corpse of his client surrounded by bodies of brutish looking men. His guess that he wanted to avoid payment was true, it seemed. This man had gotten what he deserved, in his book, and Kakashi wished he could have been there to witness it himself. The scene before him looked like it would have been rather entertaining to see.

That also probably meant Kakashi had been close to the same situation if he had not told the caller that he would do it for free. Being a businessman, he had enough money and he rarely had anything to spend it on, so it just kept growing and growing in various mank accounts. He did not need any more.

That was how he ended up going to his presidential suite and packing the belongings he had brought to finally head to his current residence. He had a plane to catch and a teenager to pack up before they could relocate to a certain town in Japan…

Kakashi watched intently as the shorter man made his way through the crowd, throwing suspicious glances every which way. It amused the silver-haired man to no end that for as sharp as Iruka's instincts were, Kakashi still managed to stay off the other man's radar. He followed him to a quiet suburb and made sure he entered his house before heading the other direction to his own neighborhood.

...

Iruka was almost at his boiling point and it was only five minutes into the school day. Almost every student in his class was whispering to one another about the new student standing next to him. The raven haired teen had barely walked in the door before every girl, and a few boys, started talking about how 'hot' he was and the best ways to get information about him. They were even daring each other to talk to the new kid as if they were grade schoolers and Iruka swore he could feel a vein throbbing in his forehead.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he addressed the class in his most feared teacher-voice. "All right, listen up! Obviously, we have a new student, but that does not mean you get to sit and chat all day." He glared around the room for good measure to silence the remaining whisperers. "Now, this is Uchiha Sasuke and you can all get to know him on your own time. All right? Please take your seat, Sasuke-kun," Iruka finished, gesturing to the only open seat next to Naruto.

The rest of class was spent ignoring the scattered stares directed at the new student, some obvious as turning in their seats and others casting sidelong glances, and continued the lesson for those who actually wanted to listen. Throughout the entire class, Iruka noticed Naruto becoming more and more irritated. He ignored this as well and decided he was going to ask him about it at lunch. In Iruka's opinion, lunch could not have come fast enough.

Hearing the bell ring was like music to Iruka's nerves. It meant he could finally wind down a little and take a break from the whispers of how 'sexy' and 'mysterious' Sasuke was. Honestly, there were some things a teacher just did not want to hear.

"Naruto, can you please come here a moment?" Iruka flagged down his younger brother, before he could dash out of the room. "What's wrong?" he asked as Naruto turned away from the door.

The spiky-haired blond sulked up to the desk and kept his attention on the door from the corner of his eye until a certain new kid disappeared through it. As soon as everyone was out of earshot, Naruto finally burst. He never was good at keeping his thoughts to himself. "What is it about the new kid that has everyone riled up? All he's done is ignore everyone and look all high and mighty! I even tried to introduce myself and all he did was give me a cold stare! He didn't even bother to turn towards me! That bastard had better learn some manners when people talk to him!" As the rant went on, Naruto's whisker-scars became more and more prominent as his face heated from anger. His fists were already clenched at his sides and his teeth were gritted in a tight scowl.

"Naruto, calm down," Iruka said, walking around the desk to place his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "I'm sure Sasuke-kun didn't mean anything by it. He's probably just trying to make some sort of reputation to keep the bullies away. Being a new kid is never easy."

Iruka knew that logic did not always work with Naruto, but it was worth a shot. He knew what it was like to be the new kid a few times over. They'd had to move a couple of times before Iruka could find a stable enough job while he was still getting calls on his special cell phone. He will be eternally grateful to whatever higher power made him lose that phone.

Naruto seemed to deflate almost immediately, his hands relaxed at his sides as he exhaled slowly. "You're probably right, as always. Say, Iruka-sensei, you wouldn't happen to have some instant ramen for lunch, would you? The food here sucks," he asked, brightening up at the prospect of his favourite food.

Iruka could not help but chuckle a little to himself at his little brother's mood swings. If anything could cheer Naruto up quicker than ramen, Iruka would bet it did not exist. He pulled out his lunch, ramen of course, and handed it to Naruto who promptly zipped off to chow down. As exasperating as it was to live with him, Iruka would never change a hair on his beloved sibling's head. Sighing appreciatively into the silence of his classroom, Iruka sat down with the extra lunch he always packed and enjoyed his momentary solitude.

The rest of the day was a little chattier than before, no doubt because of Sasuke's quickly growing popularity. He was just packing up his satchel to head home when he heard a commotion out in the hallway. _Oh, no. Please don't let that be Naruto…_ Iruka could not help but think as he ran out into the hall.

Sure enough, he saw his blond headed idiot rolling across the floor with Sasuke. Fists and elbows were flying every which way, connecting with any unprotected body parts. By the time Iruka had been able to struggle his way through the crowd of excited teenagers, Sasuke had Naruto pinned to the ground and was yelling in his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" the black-haired boy shouted.

"All right, that's enough!" Iruka shouted, effectively silencing the cheering from the crowd. The loudest cheers seemed to be coming from his students, Sakura and Ino. They had never been particularly nice to Naruto, but Iruka would not have thought they would cheer for a new kid over someone they had known for years. "Class has ended. Now, unless you have afterschool business, I expect these halls be clear by the time I turn around!" All of the students reluctantly, but quickly, made their way out of Iruka's sight.

Sasuke was just standing up by the time Iruka turned back to the fighting teens. With a final, cold look at Naruto, Sasuke turned on his heel and walked away. "Where do you think you're going, Sasuke-kun?" the disgruntled teacher called after him.

"You said you wanted the halls to be clear. Right, Iruka-sensei?" The pale boy never even turned around to address him. Without waiting for an answer, Sasuke continued on his way, leaving bewildered and enraged eyes following after him.

Iruka's reflexes barely caught Naruto's arm before he could chase after the other boy. "Naruto! Calm… down…!" The brunette struggled to restrain his angry brother and finally resorted to swiftly kicking his feet out from under him and pinning him face first to the floor. The blond thrashed in an attempt to escape, but quickly found it futile and lay still, breathing heavily.

After a few minutes, once Iruka thought he had calmed enough, he asked, "Better?"

Naruto huffed in defeat and nodded. Iruka got off of him and helped his little brother off the floor. Trusting that he would not go on another rampage, Iruka went back to his room to grab his bag and returned to find Naruto waiting for him, slumped against the wall guiltily. He knew what was coming and had resigned himself to the lecture he was bound to get and the defense he was going to give.

Mentally, Iruka sighed to himself as he walked back to his brother and nudged his shoulder with his own. The brothers walked home silently, side by side. Naruto was still visibly nervous about his brother's impending temper when they got to their street, and Iruka took pity on him by slinging his arm around the teen's shoulders comfortingly. He said, "I'm not mad, so stop worrying. I just wanna know what happened."

The blond boy's head bowed in relief before coming back up to reveal an apprehensive expression. Just because Iruka had said he was not angry, did not mean he would not get there quickly. Naruto stalled his explanation until they were finally standing in their living room, facing each other. He mumbled something to the floor and Iruka made a show of cupping his hand around his ear and leaning towards the boy.

"I'm sorry, didn't quite catch that," he said, prompting his brother to speak louder.

"He called me 'dobe,'" Naruto repeated.

"So, you started a fight because he called you a name?" Iruka sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of his nose to order his thoughts. "Naruto, I thought you were more mature—"

"It's not what you think!" Naruto interrupted, his eyes pleading for his brother to listen. "I had accidentally bumped into him in the hall, so I turned back and apologized. Then he looked at me with that same cold stare and said, 'Just watch where you're going, dobe.' When I asked him what his problem was, he just scoffed and turned his back on me! I just kind of… lost my temper after that. I'm sorry, Ruka-nii."

The teen looked entirely sincere in his apology, even going so far as to call Iruka by the nickname he had given him when they were younger. Naruto's bright blue eyes, wide with honesty, finally cracked Iruka's defenses. The older male bowed his head and chuckled. "Apology accepted. Now, let's have a look at that lip," he said, taking Naruto's chin in his hand and turning his face to see the wound better. "At least it's split so it won't swell up. Go wash off the blood and try not to stretch your lips too much."

The teen smiled despite the advice and hugged his brother. "Thanks for not getting angry, Ruka-nii," he mumbled into his neck. Iruka tightened his arms around the boy and finally let him go, giving him a gentle shove towards the bathroom.

He waited until he heard Naruto fumbling around for various things before speaking again, "Ya know… I don't really feel like cooking. How does Ichiraku's sound for dinner tonight?"

There was an answering whoop of joy and then an immediate hiss of pain. The blond idiot had probably just reopened his lip. Iruka chuckled under his breath and made his way to his room to change into more comfortable clothing. He put on his favourite pair of old jeans and slipped on a loose, green button up. He watched the scars etched into his tanned body disappear, hidden behind the shirt as he did the buttons up slowly. Iruka was suddenly lost in thought as he always was when he was reminded of what happened to him so many years ago.

Shaking the dark memories from his mind, Iruka headed out to the kitchen to make a cup of tea before dinner. He needed something calming at that moment, so he grabbed his favourite jasmine tea and set the cup of water into the microwave. Normally, he would have used his kettle, but he needed something quick and boiling water took too long.

As he waited, he set out his lesson plans and assignments that needed grading, ready to do a little bit of work while Naruto was getting ready. Jasmine tea in hand, he set to his work and got three papers done when the hyperactive teen finally bounced into the kitchen. His lip had finally stopped bleeding and all of the blood was gone; the small wound looked like it was already beginning to seal over itself. The speed Naruto healed at had always amazed Iruka to no end.

The teacher quickly rearranged his piles of papers and finished off his tea before they set out for dinner. A slip of paper caught Iruka's attention as he reached for his keys. It was Kakashi's number. Naruto had encouraged him to give it a go with the businessman after he had told him the whole story of what had happened the day before, but Iruka did not feel that it was right to just call the very next day. He could not think of anything to say to the man to his face, let alone over the phone.

Ignoring the note, he grabbed his keys from the stand next to the door and headed to the car to take his little brother out to dinner. He would call Kakashi, eventually, he decided. Just not yet.

...

A/N: And there is another chapter! I hope you liked it! Review if you did! Review if you didn't! Just please please please review! I love reading them and appreciate every single one of them! I have a goal to reach at least 5 reviews! Even if it was just two words, it would make my day! Thank you and catch ya next time!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: BAM! Another chapter! Hope you enjoy! I am sooo sorry guys! My muse was being fickle and couldn't decide what she wanted to give me inspiration on DX I kid you not, I had 7 stories open at one time because she just would not settle on which one she wanted to work on . And then I just sat down and wrote and wrote as soon as she gave me anything about Final Kill… Anyways, here's your update!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Characters belong to Kishimoto! (And that's kind of iffy considering what he's been doing with them…)

…

He was going to do it. After a week of waiting, half an hour of arguing with Naruto, and much mental warfare with himself, Umino Iruka was going to call Hatake Kakashi, the sexy businessman.

Naruto was more than adamant that Iruka needed to get out of the house for a few hours, and he finally conceded to give the mysterious businessman a call to ask him out for a coffee. It was innocent enough that Iruka's insides did not burn from nervousness. Then again, having his little brother standing right in front of him, arms crossed, while Iruka's fingers hovered over the buttons of the phone was not helping matters at all.

_C'mon! It's just coffee for Kami's sake!_ Iruka berated himself, trying to nudge his courage to help him dial the number. Still, he sat there frozen to the spot, looking at the phone as if it had grown tentacles. What if the other man had changed his mind already? It had been nearly a week since he had met the man and he'd been too busy with work - and Naruto kept getting into fights with Sasuke, which meant frustrated patch ups and brotherly scolding - to get up the courage to talk to the sexy businessman.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Ruka-nii!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. Before Iruka had enough brain cells to form a thought, the blond boy had ripped the phone and slip of paper from his hands and dialed the number written on it.

Horrorstruck, Iruka could do nothing but sit and stare in shock as he heard Kakashi's deep voice rumble from the phone pressed to Naruto's ear. "_Hello?_"

"Hi, Hatake Kakashi? Remember Umino Iruka? Yeah, this is Iruka's brother and I was just wondering if you'd be interested in helping me kick his lazy ass out of the house for a cup of coffee," Naruto explained bluntly. "Whadya say?"

Motor skills finally working, Iruka lurched forward and grabbed the phone from Naruto with a panicked exclamation. He fumbled with the phone a bit before he was able to press it to his ear. "Hi, Hata— er… Kakashi-san," he corrected himself, remembering their last meeting. "Sorry about that, my brother can be rather… uhm, forward, sometimes."

Kakashi's deep chuckle flowed from the speaker like velvet. "Not a problem at all. I'm rather glad he called, actually. I was beginning to think I'd never hear from you," he said, sounding every bit as amused as Naruto looked smug. Kakashi said something else, but Iruka was too busy glaring daggers at his younger brother to catch it.

"Wait, what?" he replied intelligently. _Smooth, Iruka. Real smooth._

Another chuckle was heard from the other end of the line as Iruka mentally facepalmed. "I said, 'Coffee sounds great.' I'll meet you at the same shop as before in an hour, then." Kakashi sounded so confident, it made Iruka a little bit jealous of the other man's charisma.

"All right. I'll uhm… see you there," Iruka responded, half in a daze that the sexy businessman had just agreed to the coffee date. Could coffee even count as a date?

"See you soon, Iruka." Kakashi had practically purred his name and almost made his knees go weak at the sound of it. The line went dead and Iruka closed the phone.

He could not believe it. He had a date. Umino Iruka had a date with the most attractive person he had ever seen. _What the hell am I going to wear?!_ His panicked inner voice wondered frantically.

The next half hour was spent combing through his closet and dresser drawers to find something suitable. What did one wear out for coffee? Would a button up be too formal? Are those jeans too worn out? Should he just go casual and wear cargo pants with a long sleeved t-shirt? Ugh, it was too nerve wracking for the little teacher. Naruto's constant commentary and snickering was not helping any.

Finally, with 15 minutes to go, Iruka settled on a pair of nice, but not exactly new, jeans and his dark grey t-shirt that had long white sleeves to cover his arms. Iruka had thought it a minor miracle when the businessman had not asked about his attire before. Even if he was wearing a button up for work, most of the teachers would have rolled up the sleeves because of the unseasonably hot weather.

Iruka shrugged to himself and turned in a circle for his whiskered brother. "How do I look?" he asked, looking at his outfit nervously.

Naruto groaned in exasperation and replied, "You look absolutely fabulous. Now, get your butt out that door or you're gonna be late." His little brother's bluntness usually grated on Iruka's nerves, but today it gave him the push he needed to make his way out of the house to get to his date.

The entire walk to the coffee shop was spent anxiously picking at his sleeves, pants, and anything else his fingers made contact with. _Snap out of it, Iruka! It's just coffee! You've already had coffee with him before, so stop acting like a nervous schoolgirl! _Iruka mentally yelled at himself.

Deep within his own thoughts, Iruka failed to notice a certain silver-haired figure until he bumped right into a very muscular chest. He tried to backpedal, but strong arms wrapped around him, ceasing his retreat. "I'm beginning to think this is a regular thing for you, Iruka," a familiar, deep voice purred low in his ear. "But, I'll take what I can get."

Iruka shivered at the feel of warm breath on his ear and his face burned with the flush of embarrassment. Right behind the embarrassment and slight arousal though, was a tiny sliver of suspicion. As he had spent a good chunk of his life as an assassin, he had always been aware of his surroundings no matter how deeply his thoughts took him. How could he have failed to notice the muscular, silver-haired businessman until he was right in front of his nose? Let alone _twice_?

Decidedly ignoring the questions his mind was throwing at him, Iruka plastered a polite smile on his face and firmly removed the arms around him. They offered slight resistance before relenting, hands instead coming to rest on the smaller man's shoulders. "Trust me, it doesn't happen all that often," he retorted playfully. Iruka had to admit that the contact was not exactly unwelcome, but for the sake of being in public, and they being practically strangers, he took a final step backwards and around the businessman. "Shall we?" Iruka asked, gesturing to the door of the coffee shop.

A sly grin crept onto Kakashi's face and a twinkle lit in his eye. The expression was gone before Iruka could analyze it, replaced by a small smile that made his single grey eye curve in a smile of its own. _How odd_. The little teacher led the way into the coffee shop, suppressing the tingling sensation that skittered down his spine from having the businessman behind him. He almost felt like prey being stalked by a dangerous predator.

After they had ordered their drinks, they took their seats from before and looked at each other with a certain amount of expectation in both gazes. Iruka was unsure of what to do from here, so he began as simply as he could. He was about to ask the sexy businessman how he had been for the past week, but he beat him to it.

"So, your little brother seems like an interesting fellow," Kakashi said casually. "Is he always that eloquent?"

Iruka snorted at the word 'eloquent.' "I wouldn't use the word eloquent. Crude, brash, or pain in the rear describe him better," the chocolate haired man replied. His smile was one of brotherly tolerance and affection. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Kakashi let out a deep chuckle. "You love your brother very much, don't you?" It was said as a statement rather than a question, but Iruka nodded in answer anyways. "Last time we met, you mentioned not being related by blood. Would you mind my asking what that means?" he asked politely.

"Not at all," the dark haired man replied with an easy smile. It was not exactly a secret how the brothers had come to be together… unless one tried to delve too deep into their past. "Naruto and I grew up in an orphanage together since he was an infant. At the beginning of the summer, we finally completed all of the adoption paperwork." Iruka paused and chuckled a little ruefully to himself. "I would have done it as soon as I was eighteen, but there were some complications." _Like being an assassin, for one_.

"What kind of complications?" Kakashi asked with genuine curiosity. It seemed like a harmless enough question to anyone else, but to Iruka, it was just another thing he had to dodge. Luckily enough, it could be dodged with the truth… or a version of it, anyway.

"Oh, just the usual trying to find a job and put myself through college to get my teaching degree. Thankfully, the caretaker at the time was kind enough to allow me to stay with Naruto and the boys. I technically had to leave the orphanage after I turned 18, but Sarutobi-sensei gave me odd jobs around the building until I had a job of my own at a local store." He grimaced inwardly as he thought of what his real job had been while working at that little shop. "After that, it was all about finding a place of my own and having a steady teaching gig before I could even think of leaving with Naruto. Even then I ended up moving a couple more times before we could even think about the adoption."

"I see," Kakashi said, contemplating his next words. "What's the name of that orphanage?"

"Konoha Boys' Orphanage. Nothing fancy," Iruka replied easily. It was surprising him how easy it was to talk to someone like Kakashi, someone with such an aura of confidence and strength. Even though there was still a sliver of unease in the back of Iruka's mind, there was also a certain charisma that surrounded the silver haired businessman and made the smaller male relax.

Iruka was taking a long drink from his coffee when he nearly choked on it from Kakashi's next question, "Do you always wear long sleeves? It's rather warm outside for that kind of clothing."

He had thought that this topic would come up sooner or later, so the brown haired man gave the prepared answer as dismissively as he could. "I wear long sleeves year round. They've always just been more comfortable to me despite the weather." Iruka could see no possible way for the other man to continue that line of questioning, but he asked a question of his own to distract him, just in case. "So, now you know about my brother and weird sense of style. What about you though? Any brothers or sisters?"

"Nope, just an only child," the businessman replied smoothly, taking a drink of his coffee.

Iruka noticed that he did not offer any other information about himself, and the silence afterwards seemed to almost drag on. Oddly enough, it was not as awkward as it should have been. Even with that single dark grey eye assessing him from across the table, the suspicion in the back of the younger male's mind was totally ignored. Then again, Iruka concluded that it could be from his self made promise to disassociate himself from anything to do with his previous life as an assassin, despite the current voice of warning trying to be heard in the back of his consciousness. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Iruka reminded himself that he was supposed to be on a date with the sexy businessman, not analyzing him as a potential threat.

Plastering a smile on his face and scratching at the scar crossing his nose, the brunette chuckled nervously, "So, uhh… to be honest, I haven't exactly done this in a while. Not too sure about what to do now."

Kakashi's eye curved in its unique arch in amusement. "Well, now that we're done with our drinks, how's about you give me a tour of the town? I haven't had the time to take a real look around yet, and having you as company would make it much more appealing."

Iruka could feel a slight blush colouring his cheeks as he nodded an affirmative. They disposed of their cups on the way out of the door and stepped into the unseasonably warm weather. As they walked and chatted, Iruka had to keep tabs on his hands as they kept trying to pick at his too warm clothing. Having said that he was comfortable in all weather, the brunette just could not bear the thought of Kakashi thinking him a liar. Then again, he _was_ lying, but that was not the point.

Before either of them knew it, hours had passed and they had somehow managed to stop in front of the coffee shop again. Having walked all the way around the town and shown Kakashi the local hotspots and stores, Iruka felt rather satisfied with his date. The two men seemed to get along very well. A little cynical part of Iruka's mind was wondering what the catch was. _There has to be more to it than this,_ that part said.

Feeling slightly guilty about his negative thoughts, the smaller male glanced away from his companion, missing the look of total curiosity in the other's gaze. The part of his mind that was always watchful of the surrounding area finally registered in the young teacher's thoughts. By the look of the angles of the shadows, it was getting very late… much later than Iruka had thought it had been. _Time really does fly when one is having fun_, Iruka thought ruefully. Oh well, it had to end at some point, right?

Iruka tried to find a way to bid his date farewell and opted for the straightforward and honest, "Well, I guess I better get going. It's getting kind of late and Naruto probably died of boredom," _or curiosity_, "but I had a really good time. Thanks for coming out to coffee with me, Kakashi."

"The pleasure is all mine," the tall businessman replied, a small smile playing at the edges of his lips, "I hope we can do this again sometime. Are you free next Friday for dinner? Say, around seven?"

"Absolutely," came Iruka's quick reply. He blushed lightly at his eagerness and only made Kakashi's eye curve in amusement again. He cleared his throat and tried to regain some of his dignity. "I mean, yeah, sure. Friday night it is. Where will we be meeting this time?" the brunette asked. _Damn Kakashi's weird eye-smiles for making me so flustered!_

"Maa, but if I tell you, it won't be a surprise," Kakashi purred, leaning closer to the smaller male. "I'll pick you up and take you there." His tone was commanding and more than a little seductive. The mere deepness of it was scrambling Iruka's thoughts. He found himself nodding in agreement before he had even fully decided to. "Terrific. I'll see you then, Iruka."

Much like he had over the phone, the way Kakashi partly purred and growled his name made his knees go weak and his mind fuzzy. He could not stop the gasp of surprise when he felt warm breath suddenly on his lips before they were claimed in a light kiss. Iruka had wondered sometime before how soft those sinful lips would be, but he never thought they would feel _that _good. Before Iruka could even think to kiss back, the lips were gone along with their owner. The tanned teacher blinked in confusion and whipped his head around to search for a familiar shock of silver hair.

Kakashi had vanished.

Sighing in frustration, Iruka noticed the odd looks we was getting from passersby. The brunette immediately turned beet red in embarrassment. Iruka had been used to getting weird looks because of his scar or choice of clothing, but it certainly was not every day he got kissed in public by another male! He quickly turned on his heel and made his way through the throng of people to get home. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up in warning. Someone was watching him. _Well duh! We've already established this because of that blasted kiss!_

Iruka shook away his instincts, sure that he knew the cause of it, and never once noticed the eyes full of malice and loathing that followed him from the crowd of people.

. . . . . .

Iruka had yet to even take a bite of his lunch before being called down to the front office. _Three guesses why_, he thought as he stalked to the room that held two teenage boys, an angry teacher, and a very harassed looking principal. At least Naruto had the sense to actually look sorry, whereas Sasuke just looked away from the group of people with disinterest, his mouth set in a slight scowl.

"Iruka-sensei, this is the last straw!" yelled the enraged teacher. He pointed directly at Naruto before continuing his tirade, straightening his spine and looking down his nose at Iruka. "Not only does he disrespect the school with his shenanigans, but you as well! Fighting is just unacceptable! How can you stand there and just let this little punk—"

"Be careful what you say _sensei_," Iruka spat coldly, effectively cutting off Ebisu in mid-rant. Of all the teachers in the school, Naruto just _had_ to piss off this one.

As a teacher he did his job very well but, according to Naruto, Ebisu had had it out for his little brother ever since they had moved here for seemingly no reason at all. He was constantly ragging on Naruto about this or that and talking down to him if he answered a question wrong in the halls between classes. Iruka could, and did more often than not, listen to Naruto rant for hours on end about Ebisu's supposed verbal mistreatment of his little brother, but to hear him actually insult the only family he had got Iruka's blood boiling immediately. Nobody insulted his family. _Nobody._

He narrowed his eyes at the bespectacled man and spoke in a low tone, daring the taller male to contradict him, "Now, as far as I can tell, there are _two_ boys sitting in this office. Not just Naruto." The tension that lined his shoulders was the only indication of his anger. Anyone who knew Iruka well enough would know that this was the time to back down and apologize with their tail between their legs. As it was, Naruto visibly shrank further into his seat nervously and even Sasuke flicked his eyes in Iruka's direction due to the furious aura that was rolling off of the young teacher. Ebisu, on the other hand, looked unimpressed and returned the glare challengingly, obviously thinking himself to be superior, and further fueling Iruka's rage.

Just as the brunette was about to snap at the other teacher, Naruto spoke softly, trying to calm his brother down before he did something stupid, "Iruka, stop." Watching the older man carefully, Naruto rose from his seat and held out his hands in a calming gesture. "It's all right. It was my fault anyway, so just calm down, okay?" Naruto could not stand the thought of Iruka losing his job over something so stupid. Sure, this Ebisu guy pissed everyone off to no end, but there were always people like that no matter where they move to.

Furious brown eyes met pleading blue and finally softened when the teen flinched ever so slightly. Seeing Naruto even slightly afraid of him snapped the brunette from his anger. Iruka willed his posture to relax as he stepped towards Naruto and placed a comforting hand on the blonds' shoulder. He took a calming breath and borrowed strength from his brother's presence before turning to address his boss, a short man with thin grey hair. "What happened?" he asked, his voice steady and anger tamed.

The principal cleared his throat to stop the impending outburst from Ebisu, and said, "I'm not sure what caused it since neither boy has spoken up about it, but Ebisu-sensei found them physically fighting near the staircase to the roof and shouting insults at each other. We've given them warning after warning, Iruka-sensei, and I'm afraid I agree with Ebisu-sensei. Enough is enough. The fighting has to stop, even if I have to take them out of school."

"I understand," Iruka said, bowing his head. How could he get them all out of this mess? The principal obviously hated the idea of expelling anyone, and Iruka had no inclination to move again. An idea came to Iruka then that could satisfy the principal's need for peace and save Naruto and Sasuke from possible suspension or expulsion. "Sir, if I may be so bold," Iruka began. "Would you consider overlooking this altercation and allow me to talk to the boys myself?"

"That is actually the other reason I called you down here. As Naruto's guardian, I needed you to escort him off of the premises. However," the older man paused for a moment, thinking something over, "I can smell good ideas from a mile away. You two are off the hook, but this is the _last time_. Do I make myself clear?" He glared pointedly at the two teenagers who quickly nodded their understanding, Naruto energetically and Sasuke as stoically as ever. Then, he pointed to Iruka, "Don't make me regret this, Iruka-san."

"You won't," Iruka promised. Bowing to his superior, he gestured for the teens to go on ahead of him before walking past a flabbergasted Ebisu. The brunette would not have been able to stop the triumphant smirk on his lips if he tried. Leading the silent males behind him, he contemplated the wisdom of what he was about to do. Iruka opened the door silently and ushered his new test subjects into his classroom.

Naruto was the first to break the thick silence, "Iruka-sensei, I am so sorry. I was being an idiot and—"

Iruka abruptly held up his hand in the universal signal to _shut up_, and cut off his little brother's explanation. "I don't care about that. After spending the last week and a half helping you with your scrapes and bruises, I just don't care about the reason anymore. I just want it to stop. So, as of right now, you two are going to be partners in all assignments and projects. No buts!" He killed Naruto's protests. In true Uchiha Sasuke fashion, the black haired teen merely glared in annoyance. "If you two fight again, you will fail immediately. Understood?"

The look in Naruto's eyes told him he was in for an earful when they got home, but he wisely kept quiet and grudgingly nodded. "But just so we're clear," the blond gritted through clenched teeth to his new partner, "this in no way makes you the boss of me!"

"Whatever," was the dark haired teen's only reply before he turned and strode to the door.

"Sasuke-kun," called Iruka, making Sasuke stop and glance over his shoulder at the teacher. "I'm going to have the principal inform your parents of the situation after school today."

"Che…" Sasuke scoffed. He opened the door and took one step out before saying, "Good luck."

Wondering what the boy could have meant, the brothers watched as the door closed behind him. Now that they were finally alone, Naruto snapped. "How the hell could you pair me with him?! It's obvious that we don't get along, so it's just setting us up to fail! That bastard is probably going to think he's the boss of me and try to tell me what to do!" he yelled.

"What else would you have me do, Naruto?" Iruka asked, just as loudly. "It was either this or both of you getting expelled for fighting. I know you're more mature than this, so you just need to suck it up and learn to deal with it. You are going to meet plenty of people that rub you the wrong way in life, and some of them you are going to have to work with. You can't go around quitting or getting fired just because you don't get along with someone." Taking a calming breath, Iruka softened his voice to a gentle tone that showed just how tired he already was of arguing with his brother. "Don't you understand? I'm just trying to do what's best for everyone."

The two brothers stared at each other for a long time. At last, Naruto was the one to break the eye contact, sighing and looking down at the floor. "You're right, Iruka," he sighed. "You always are." Naruto looked back up to the teacher's scarred face and gave him his signature face-splitting grin. "Thanks for standing up to Ebisu for me. Even though you got kinda scary… thanks."

"Of course," Iruka shrugged. "Family's gotta stick together, and nobody messes with us." Puffing out his chest, the chocolate haired man made a silly face that had peals of laughter rolling out of the teen. Most days, Iruka lived for that sound, and he really needed it after the scare in the office. If Naruto had gotten expelled, Iruka was pretty sure there were no schools close enough to take him to, meaning they would have to pack up and move again.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he ruffled the blonds' spikes affectionately and gave him a little push towards the door. "Go eat your lunch. You don't have much time left, and I don't need you eating your homework out of starvation," he teased.

"As if! Paper isn't filling at all and it tastes disgusting!" _Leave it to Naruto to think of that logic._ The ball of endless energy darted out the door in search of his food, leaving Iruka alone to enjoy his own.

. . . . . .

Friday night finally rolled around and Iruka found himself to be a nervous wreck. Kakashi had called a couple of days beforehand to get his address and would be there to pick him up in a couple of hours. He had already showered and shaved any stubble that dared sprout on his cheeks, dressed in a lightweight green sweater and khakis that were both nice and casual, and he must have looked at the clock above the stove a million times as he paced back and forth with nervous energy.

Not only was tonight the night of his date with Kakashi, but Iruka had assigned a large project in class that the boys needed to work on at home, meaning the warring teens would be left alone… in his house… trying to work together… Visions of bloody knuckled and screamed curses flooded the young teacher's mind.

_Ughh, I don't need this stress right now!_ he thought, momentarily kicking himself for ever making the boys partners. He quickly shook his head of those thoughts. They needed to learn how to work together rather than fighting all the time. Speaking of which, Sasuke would be there any minute to work with Naruto, who was currently in the shower. _Damn him for being so careless about the time…_

Iruka quickly ran to the living room to tidy things up because he knew his brother could not care less what Sasuke would think of him or his house. Just as he was finishing, three rapid knocks sounded at the front door. Straightening his clothing and checking to make sure he was presentable for company, Iruka opened the door to find his raven haired student.

"Good evening, Iruka." Sasuke gave a short, polite nod in greeting, completely contradicted by his lack of honorific. Iruka ignored this, too busy worrying about what state his house was going to be in when he returned. Normally, the stoic teenager wore clothing of the newest styles and carried nothing but the books he would need for class. Standing on Iruka's doorstep, he was now wearing a weathered looking t-shirt and grass stained jeans with a backpack hanging off of one shoulder. The project he had assigned was a rather messy one and Iruka cursed himself again for it. He would definitely have a mess to clean up later.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun. Come on in," Iruka replied, opening the door wider in invitation. He noticed the dark haired teen take a cursory glance around the room as he stepped over the threshold, and was glad he had tidied the room.

Just as he was about to close the door, a familiar deep voice stopped him. "Mind if I join the party?" Iruka whipped around at the velvet voice and was met with a muscular body leaning lazily on the doorjamb with an amused smirk donning the silver haired man's face.

_What's Kakashi doing here so early?_

. . . . . .

A/N: And there you have it! Again, I am soo sorry this is so late! I don't exactly have a set schedule of when to post new chapters like most people, but a month is just too long! I promise I'll try to update sooner.

I know this might seem like an odd place to end a chapter, but I figured one fail of a date per chapter was enough xD the next chapter is going to be the 'surprise' date and boy is there an emphasis on 'surprise'… but not in the way you're thinking! I'm evil, I know.

Anyways, please review! I'm almost to my goal of 5!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: The all mighty chapter four! No idea if people actually read these little author's notes, but I'll put the warning in here anyways since I forgot to for the first chapter. There will be some blood and violence in this chapter. Also, I have no idea if there even is a national investigative police force in Japan. I just came up with that since I know Japan has some other name for FBI and I'm too lazy to look it up.

And thank you to those who helped me realize my goal to reach 5 reviews! And you even went the extra mile and got me to 10! Keep it up guys! Reviews give me motivation to write!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters depicted here… But if I did…

. . . . . .

Iruka balked at seeing the wealthy, one-eyed businessman on his doorstep. Something about his posture tickled a memory, but it was shaken away hastily in his panic. Kakashi was nearly two hours early and Iruka was nowhere _near_ prepared for the evening. He still had to… what did he have left to do? His teeth were brushed, hair in its usual high ponytail, he showered, and he was dressed… _Damn it! But he's still early!_ Mentally shaking himself to get a grip, he put on a smooth mask to hide his obvious surprise and said, "Kakashi… You're early." Iruka had also hoped for some time to supervise the two boys in case a fight was to break out and he would be cleaning more than project supplies off the floor.

"I know. Hope you don't mind," he replied, displaying an amused, curvy eyed grin. "But the brat needed a ride so he could work on a project with his partner." Kakashi gestured to the raven haired teen standing behind Iruka, who was watching the conversation with an air of mild indifference. "'Killing two birds with one stone,' as they say."

Iruka's mind was spinning. "Wait, how do you know Sasuke?" the brunette asked, turning back to his soon-to-be date. They looked nothing alike, so they could not be father and son… could they?

"It's hard to not know someone who lives with you," Kakashi stated smoothly. The vague answer made Iruka's eye twitch for some reason. Noticing this, the silver haired businessman grinned wider.

Just as Iruka was about to inquire further, Naruto's voice came from the hall behind him, "Ru, what time did you say that bastard would be here?" Leave it to his little brother to forget, but did he not see him standing there…? Iruka's thought died as he looked at his blond idiot in horror.

Naruto stood at the entrance to the hallway, violently toweling off his freshly showered hair, effectively cutting off his vision, and he standing there with nothing but another towel wrapped around his waist. Iruka's little brother was unknowingly displaying a very indecent amount of skin in full view of two guests. It never mattered when they were home alone, but… _Goddamnit, Naruto! Stop drying your hair and look around!_

That was when the knot keeping the towel around his waist decided to start coming undone. Iruka snapped right out of his horror and thoughtlessly used his near inhuman reflexes as an ex-assassin to get across the room and hold the towel up by the loosened knot near his hip. He turned to face their company, covering his younger brother's body with his own, an embarrassed blush spread across his cheeks. "I am so sorry. Please excuse me while I have a quick word with my brother. Make yourselves at home," Iruka said hastily.

"Ruka, what are you talking about? Who—" Naruto's inquiries were effectively cut off by a violent shove down the hall that did not stop until his bedroom door closed behind him. Stumbling slightly, he whirled around on his big brother, both towels falling forgotten on the floor, confusion obvious in his expression. "What the hell was that for?"

"Do you even think before you act?!" Iruka snapped, ignoring the stark naked body of his sibling. "Do you even realize that you walked out in front of guests practically naked?!"

"Guests? Is someone here? I thought I heard voices…" Naruto mumbled the last part to himself. True, he had not put much thought to exiting the bathroom without dressing to investigate what he had thought he heard. "Sorry," he said, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his head. "I didn't really think that far ahead."

Iruka exhaled sharply in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. It really was exhausting to live with his brother sometimes. Even when he was little, he had a tendency to act before thinking. Just a part of his impulsive nature, he guessed. Iruka took a deep breath to steady himself again and sighed. "Just," he said, looking at his brother tiredly, "get dressed. Sasuke is here and so is Kakashi. I'm going to go try to get a grip on what's going on."

"Isn't he a little early?" Naruto inquired, pulling on a pair of boxers. "I thought your date wasn't for another couple of hours."

"He is really early," Iruka agreed. "Apparently he lives with Sasuke and gave him a ride here. Like I said, I need to talk to them about it." He finally turned to go so his brother could finish dressing in peace. The brunette ordered his thoughts as he made his way back down the hallway. He found his guests murmuring to each other in low voices, heads bent together on the couch.

Sasuke had on one of his special glares as he hissed a reply to something Kakashi had said. The look on the silver haired businessman's face was boredom incarnate, as if the conversation was not worth his time. Iruka cleared his throat politely to announce his presence in the room, causing the other males to lean away from one another. They shared a certain look that clearly said, _This is not over._

"Naruto will be right out, Sasuke-kun. I'm really sorry you guys had to see that," Iruka apologized, yet again. "Kakashi-san, would you—"

A hand signal from the light haired man stopped him midsentence. "Just Kakashi, please." There was an odd glint of laughter in his eye as he said that, and it was gone with the next blink. Iruka could probably spend an hour or two and still not know what half of the man's expressions meant, granted they stayed on his face long enough to be read.

The brunette nodded in acknowledgement of the request and repeated what he had been saying. "Kakashi, would you mind waiting a few more moments so I can explain the project to the boys?"

"Take as much time as you need," he replied with a shrug. Kakashi made a show of stretching his arms across Iruka's humble couch, looking every bit as out of place as a noble in a commoner's home with his black silk shirt and wrap with dark jeans that looked tailor made specifically to emphasize the length of his legs. "I made the reservation for 7:30, so there's no rush at all."

Decidedly making the effort to not ask questions about his relationship to Sasuke right then and there, he gestured for his student to follow him. The stoic teen followed Iruka silently through the short hallway that held the doorway to the kitchen and took another brief glance around the new surroundings. The young teacher could not be sure, but he thought he saw a glimmer of interest in the young man's eyes as he looked at the little knick-knacks and photos scattered around the room.

The kitchen was where the brothers spent most of their time when they were home, and it showed in the worn down parts of the table and chairs, not to mention the handle to the refrigerator. Pictures from their orphanage days were everywhere; stuck under magnets on the fridge, framed on the walls, and some were even stuck into the frames of other pictures. Sasuke seemed to be fixated on the largest picture frame. It held the picture that showed Iruka's last day at the orphanage when Sarutobi-sensei had all of the boys get together for a group photo.

Sarutobi-sensei was in the back smiling serenely as he always did while he looked after the boys; Kotetsu and Izumo had their arms slung over their shoulders to pose peace signs at the camera; Konohamaru and Naruto were slumped together on the ground from where they had tried to wrestle to be at the front of the photo with matching styles of weird face-paint plastered on their faces; and Iruka was standing off to the side from the smiling faces of the other 20 or so orphans he had grown up with and helped raise, smiling wide with laughter from watching his brother wrestle with his 'rival'. The picture was taken right outside the front of the establishment with the hand-painted banner proclaiming that it was 'Konoha Boys' Orphanage' in large, sloppy letters with the handprints of everyone who helped make the sign scattered everywhere.

The scarred teacher glanced back at his black-haired student and saw some sort of emotion clouding his eyes as he was deep in thought. "You're orphans too," Sasuke whispered under his breath. It was clear that he never meant to speak out loud, judging by the startled look that crossed his features when Iruka spoke.

"Yeah, but we never really minded it," Iruka shrugged, turning to the closet door to gather the supplies the boys would need for the project. He decidedly ignored the 'too' on the end of Sasuke's sentence, knowing the boy would likely clam up and simply glare at him frostily. The older male put the box of everything they would need onto the table and turned back to the rigid teen with a kind smile. "We had each other and our friends, so we had all the family we could've ever needed."

Sasuke's face seemed to soften slightly at the words, which Iruka equated to at least a small grin for the young Uchiha. The expression was quickly turned back into a deadpan stare as a familiar blond teen bounded into the room and immediately headed for the fridge. Naruto snatched up two cans of soda and tossed one right to Sasuke, who automatically caught it in midair. The black-haired male looked at him with a single eyebrow raised. The blond simply answered with a half shrug as he took a swig of his own drink and turned to his brother.

"Ya know, between the two of us, I think we can figure out what to do on our own, Ru," Naruto said, gesturing to the box on the table. "It should be pretty simple to make a paper volcano."

Suspicion started flashing its little warning bells in the back of Iruka's mind. That sounded like Naruto's thinly veiled attempt to get rid of his older brother. He knew from the walk home that day with the way the whiskered teen had whined loudly about the project. Most of the rant had been about his little brother worrying about Sasuke trying to boss him around, but there was a note of truth when he mentioned not knowing how to do it, which was why he had them schedule for a time before Iruka had to leave for his date.

The brunette narrowed his eyes inquiringly at his little brother as he took another long drink. Their eyes met over the can and Naruto looked pointedly at Sasuke -who was busy browsing through their supplies and ignoring a certain blond loser- and then looked at the picture of the orphanage hanging on the wall. When he looked back at Iruka, it clicked. _He heard._

The brothers exchanged a small nod and Iruka made his move to leave, calling over his shoulder, "Holler if you need anything, boys. And no fighting or you'll fail." The reminder of his punishment for them was unnecessary for them to hear, but he needed Naruto to know what he was getting into. Seeing his brother grin and nod at him again proved that his message had gotten across. _Don't make him talk if he doesn't want to._

Kakashi was in the exact same position as when Iruka left the room, sprawled out like a king on a throne. A sexy king, at that. Shaking the thoughts away, Iruka scratched at the scar crossing his nose awkwardly as he sat in a chair across from the businessman, elbows on his knees. "So," he began as lightly as he could, "Sasuke-kun lives with you?"

The silver-haired man let out a small sigh and looked away from Iruka, thinking on how to respond to the question. "To be honest with you, he would rather I not answer that question," he said bluntly, glancing at the teacher from the corner of his eye. "But, judging from what I heard, his worries are null and void."

"Worries? What would he be worried about?" Iruka asked, genuinely confused.

"Sasuke isn't one to handle pity very well. After his parents died a few years ago, he'd had his fill of pity from everyone around him to last him a lifetime." Kakashi spoke quietly, trying not to be overheard by the teens that were clanking around the kitchen. "When you walked out here, he was warning me not to explain his situation to you because he 'didn't need your pity.'"

Iruka nodded knowingly and looked down at his hands clasped in between his knees. Sasuke's remarks during their last couple of encounters made that much more sense now, as did his overall demeanor. Losing your parents at that age was rough. If Iruka had not had Sarutobi-sensei, the guys, and Naruto, he had no idea what he would have ended up like. "Pity is not something I'm overly fond of myself," Iruka confessed, sitting back into the chair. "Sympathy, maybe. Other than that, all I have towards him is understanding."

Kakashi nodded slowly and the two men sat in silence, listening to the murmurs coming from the kitchen. Iruka was almost impressed that the teens had not at least raised their voices yet. Then again, it had barely been twenty minutes since he had left them to their work. As if right on cue, there was an uncharacteristically panicked shout that sounded from the kitchen, "Naruto, no! You idiot!" That was followed by a strange sounding _splat! _that sent tendrils of dread through Iruka's stomach.

The two older males took one look at each other and sprang from their seats, already headed towards the sounds of arguing. Both of them had seen the kind of damage the teens could inflict on the other and wanted to catch them before that happened for two very different reasons. The sight that met them stopped Iruka and Kakashi in their tracks.

Naruto and Sasuke were standing in the middle of Iruka's once clean kitchen bickering about whose fault it was. Quite similar to, yet different from, the visions that he had cooked up in his head, the young teacher looked at the red liquid that covered the boys literally from head to toe. That same liquid also stained the rest of the room, seeming to have originated from the half-finished paper volcano on the dining table, if the still foaming substance that oozed from it was any indication. The situation was as absurd as it was hilarious in Iruka's mind. Instead of striding his way over to the hissing teenagers, Iruka did the only thing that felt natural in this situation.

He laughed. Not just a hearty chuckle either. Iruka laughed as hard as he did in the group photo on the fake-gore covered wall, clutching his gut with one hand while the other gripped the door frame to keep from falling to the floor with mirth. All eyes stopped and stared at the maker of the sound. Kakashi looked on with curious amusement while Sasuke and Naruto bore near identical looks of confusion, finally distracted from each other for a moment.

When the chocolate haired teacher finally caught his breath and his laughter had died down to a few suppressed snickers, he wiped the moisture that had gathered in his eyes saying, "Wow, I haven't laughed that hard in ages." His chuckles renewed when his brother continued to stare at him, dumbfounded. Sasuke had long since fixed his expression back to his usual stoic annoyance as he looked down at his ruined clothing. "Thanks for that, boys."

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait," Naruto repeated, still not understanding something. "You're thanking us for screwing up the kitchen?"

"I'm thanking you for doing something so completely _normal. _I came running in here thinking you two had murdered each other and instead I get to see two teenagers covered head to toe in fake lava!" Iruka could not help it as another fit of laughter overtook him. In some corner of his mind, he knew that this was not the right reaction to seeing his kitchen in a complete mess, but he was just ecstatic that the two boys had made it that far with working together regardless of the current state of his kitchen.

The two boys looked at each other, simultaneously thinking that their teacher had a screw loose before Naruto finally cracked a wide grin and even Sasuke smirked slightly. From an outsider's point of view, they had to admit the whole situation was pretty funny. The tension between the teenagers dissipated as Iruka's chuckles rang through the room. Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and shifted his weight, the lava was beginning to seriously seep into his clothing and stick to his skin uncomfortably.

Noticing this, Iruka composed himself once more and straightened. "Why don't you two go hose off in the backyard real quick and I'll go grab some clean clothes for you, all right? I'm sure neither of you would want to stay in those clothes once that stuff dries," he said, eyeing the substance warily. They would have to be washed immediately if he wanted any chance to get the stains out. "Do you mind borrowing some of Naruto's clothes, Sasuke? It would just be until your clothes are done being washed, of course."

The black haired teenager seemed taken aback, noticeable only by the minute widening of his eyes. After a moment of hesitation he glanced at Naruto who nodded in assent, grin still plastered on his face. Sasuke turned to Iruka and gave a tiny nod and with a glance over Iruka's shoulder added a small, "Thank you."

Iruka smiled warmly in return and watched the two teenagers make their way to the back porch, Naruto loudly complaining about the lava sticking to places it did _not_ belong. Sighing quietly to himself, he finally took inventory of the damage around the room. It seemed as though the only place the lava did not reach was the wall next to the fridge where said object had blocked the blast and directly under the table and chairs. This was going to be a hell of a cleanup project. He was in the middle of scratching the back of his head, wondering where to begin, when a silky voice came from Iruka's right side and made him jump guiltily. How could he have forgotten about his date?

"Want any help?" Kakashi offered with his arms crossed over his chest as he lazily slouched against the other side of the doorframe. He looked at Iruka evenly, sincerity gleaming in his eye and surprising the young teacher. Something about the other man's posture gave Iruka the strangest sense of déjà vu and had the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

"That's all right," Iruka declined politely. "I'm probably just going to have Naruto clean it up. Judging by Sasuke's outburst beforehand, I'm guessing this was all Naruto's doing anyways."

He suddenly heard raised voices coming from outside and grabbed a dishtowel from the nearby closet to clear a path through the lava to peek through the small window in the backdoor. Iruka's jaw almost hit the floor as he watched a topless Naruto spraying an equally topless Sasuke with the hose, laughing his head off. Quick as lightning, Sasuke bent down to grab the slack on the ground and yanked the nozzle out of his little brother's grip. With the most deviously playful grin Iruka had ever seen on the normally cold teenager, he turned the spray on Naruto, mercilessly washing away all traces of the fake lava from his face and hair. Naruto just laughed harder and tried to block the assault with his hands ineffectively.

Iruka's heart warmed at the nearly friendly scene playing out in his backyard. Remembering that he was supposed to get something clean for his raven haired guest to change into, he rushed past Kakashi to Naruto's room and grabbed some clothes for Sasuke. He thanked whoever was listening that the teens seemed roughly the same size. As an afterthought, Iruka stopped by the bathroom to grab a couple of towels for them to dry off with. When he came back, Naruto was chuckling as he stepped into the threshold with both of their shirts in one hand, followed by Sasuke who wore a small smirk on his lips. Iruka would have taken a moment to appreciate the change of expression on his student, but he noticed that his other guest was suddenly very tense against the doorway next to him. Kakashi's single slate grey eye was locked right on Naruto, narrowed in concentration.

Iruka nudged him with an elbow, asking, "You all right?"

Snapped from his thoughts, Kakashi's appearance returned to one of amused boredom. He offered a nod in response and glanced back at the soaked, but clean, teenagers. Settling on asking about it later, Iruka tossed the towels over to the boys and said, "Here you go. Sasuke, the bathroom is the first door on the left. You can leave your clothes in the sink for me to wash when you come out."

Sasuke nodded politely and made his way through the path Iruka had made in the red mess on the floor. Nodding his thanks, he took the clothes Iruka offered him and padded into the bathroom to change. Naruto followed suit and bounded into his own room. Stealing a glance at his date, Iruka gestured back towards the fridge. "Can I get you a drink while I do the boys' laundry?" he offered. "We have water, juice, soda, and probably some sort of tea…"

"Water would be fine, thank you," Kakashi replied. Iruka went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, stopping to wipe the lava from his fingers on the dishtowel from before. As he exited the kitchen and handed the businessman his drink, Sasuke passed right by them, silent as ever. Shrugging mentally, Iruka said, "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the living room, Kakashi. I'll only be a minute to put the clothes in the washer."

Receiving a nod in return, Iruka went to the bathroom and gathered the soaked pieces of clothing from the sink and tossed them into the washer with some detergent and stain removers. Just as he was about to yell for Naruto to hurry with his own soiled clothing, the blond popped up behind him with the bundle of red dyed garments. "Somebody doesn't seem as broody anymore," Iruka remarked, throwing in Naruto's clothes with Sasuke's.

Naruto chuckled sheepishly in response and rubbed at the back of his head. "I guess he doesn't seem as bad, now that I know a bit more about why he is the way he is," Naruto said solemnly. "We could have easily ended up just like him." The truth of the statement weighed on their shoulders for a moment before being swatted away with a one armed hug between the brothers.

They walked with their arms still around each other's shoulders until they reached the kitchen doorway. Taking an instinctual glance into the room as he passed, Iruka stopped in his tracks when he saw Sasuke on his hands and knees, cleaning up the fake lava from the cupboards. By the looks of things, he had already wiped up a great deal of the stuff from the floor by making a path to the sink where he rinsed the cloth Iruka had used to make the first path through the kitchen.

"Wh-what…" Iruka stuttered, stunned beyond belief to see his student cleaning his kitchen. He was stunned even further when the warmth of his brother's body left his side before brushing past him with a towel of his own to join the cleaning. Now this was truly bizarre to the little teacher. He stared on in bewilderment, finally breaking from his trance with a shake of his head. "What are you guys doing?"

"What's it look like?" Naruto retorted, giving the refrigerator a thorough wipe down.

"We made the mess," Sasuke added. "It only makes sense that we would be the ones to clean it up."

Iruka watched wordlessly for a few more moments as the teenagers worked together, occasionally pointing out a spot the other missed. They seemed to actually work just fine with one another. Shaking his head in mild disbelief, Iruka left the boys to it and went to join his companion in the living room. He took a seat on the couch this time, sitting on the opposite end from the silver haired man.

"Why do you look so shocked?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"The boys are in the kitchen cleaning," Iruka told him.

"Isn't that what you were going to have them do anyways?" Kakashi asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Actually, I was going to just have Naruto do it while I entertained you and Sasuke," he admitted. "Now I have to figure out a way to reward them for doing this…" Iruka trailed off, lost in thought. He guessed he could give Naruto some money to go out to Ichiraku's, but what if Sasuke did not like ramen?

"I have an idea," Kakashi said suddenly. "If it's all right with you, of course."

Iruka eyed the man suspiciously, trying to guess at what he could have in mind. Finally deciding to hear him out, the tanned teacher listened and his grin grew and nodded in agreement.

. . . . . .

When the time for the reservation came, instead of two people being shown to their table, arrangements were quickly made for four people. Kakashi had proposed to take the boys with them to dinner as a reward for taking responsibility for the mess they had made without being asked. Iruka saw it as an opportunity to see how the teens would act in such a setting and also as a source of comfort knowing that his brother was next to him instead of potentially fighting with a certain Uchiha that was currently sitting across from them in the booth he now shared with Kakashi.

The restaurant was very richly decorated. White and gold made up the walls with deep red tablecloths and booths. The ceiling was painted to look like a cloudy sky with a crystal chandelier hanging from the center of it. Vases of flowers could be found at regular intervals around the room, as could ivy that climbed up the marble pillars in the corners. All in all, it was the most ostentatious place Iruka had ever been to without being there to kill someone. Living as an assassin for years did have its perks moneywise, they could probably afford to eat like this on a semi-regular basis, but Iruka was smart enough to put it all away except for what they needed to survive. He did not want Naruto to ask where it all came from compared to his measly teacher's salary.

While Iruka was feeling awkward from being in such opulent surrounds and reminiscing about the only other times he had been around them, Naruto was gaping in awe and nearly bouncing in his seat in excitement. Kakashi and Sasuke looked like they could be in the middle of a McDonald's for all they cared. They all went through their menus and munched on the bread while they waited for the waitress to come back to take their orders. Once they were taken, Kakashi was the one to break the silence they had fallen into since they had piled into his –rather luxurious- car.

"So, this is the famous Naruto, huh?" he said amicably. Iruka belatedly realized that he had yet to give the two a proper introduction!

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that," the teacher said embarrassedly. "Kakashi, this is my brother, Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka ignored the small glint in the businessman's eye and finished the introduction, "Naruto, this is Hatake Kakashi." They awkwardly shook hands over the table and the waitress finally brought their drinks and a 'complimentary appetizer.' All four of them tucked into the food; Sasuke taking miniscule bites compared to Naruto who all but shoveled the food into the bottomless pit that was his stomach, while Kakashi and Iruka nibbled here and there, opting for small talk with each other instead.

Suddenly, Naruto piped into their conversation. "Say, Kakashi, Ruka mentioned that you're a businessman. What's your business do?"

Iruka was just about to admonish his brother for obliviously interrupting, when Kakashi answered him in stride, completely unaffected by his rudeness, "My business actually is more of a support for other businesses. Owners would come to my company for loans to get started and have us backing them if things turn south." He explained more of what he did in two sentences than he ever told Iruka. All he knew was he was in business, not what he actually did. Even Sasuke looked at his guardian from the corner of his eye in surprise as he shared the information. A little tinkle of something sounded in the back of Iruka's mind. What it was, he was not sure, but it was easily identified as a warning when it grew louder in response to Kakashi's question. "And what would you like to do as a career, Naruto?"

"I'm going to be the director of Japan's National Investigative Police Force," he answered immediately. He had said it often enough and his resolve to see it through was stronger than any Iruka knew of.

"Oh? Why'd you choose that?" Iruka really did not like the calculating look in Kakashi's gaze.

Already knowing what his brother was going to answer, he kicked him under the table and was about to interject, but Naruto plundered on despite the obvious message to _stop talking,_ "To find who killed my parents."

There was an awkwardly stunned silence around the table that only grew as their waitress arrived with their food. Thankful for the reprieve in conversation, Iruka dove into his meal with an almost panicked relish. He could not believe his brother had put that information out there. Perhaps there was some way he could salvage the situation. Tension around the group rose with every passing minute, making it seem more and more impossible to get back to the easy banter they had been in earlier.

"How do you know your parents were killed?" The question made the two brothers jump, mostly because of the person who had asked the question. They both looked at Sasuke oddly and he explained further, "The pictures in your kitchen showed that you were at that orphanage since you were an infant."

Naruto scratched at his whiskered cheek absentmindedly. To anyone else, it would have looked like a contemplative gesture, but Iruka knew it for what it truly was as his memories were cast back into their dark past. Saving his little brother from having to answer, Iruka said gently, "That's err, not a topic that should be talked about in public, Sasuke-kun."

The stoic teenager merely nodded and returned to his meal without another word. They all finished their meals and when the time came to pay for the bill, Iruka was reaching halfway into his pocket for his wallet to pay for his and Naruto's part only to be stopped by a hand on his elbow. He looked at his date inquiringly and watched as the waitress took their receipt with the card Kakashi had been holding between his fingers. "Dinner's on me," he said.

Since Iruka's pride refused to let him leave without doing _something_, he stubbornly pulled out his wallet and left a decent sized tip for their server. Brown eyes locked with a single grey in defiance, causing the older male to smirk good naturedly. They all got up and filed out of the booths, Kakashi leading the way to the doors of the establishment. It was dark out already as the four males stepped into the parking lot. With as prestigious the place was, Iruka was actually surprised that it did not have a valet system. He almost wished they did, considering how far back in the parking lot they had had to park.

Kakashi and Iruka walked together with Sasuke trailing behind them while Naruto weaved in between the cars at random. Walking in the dark always put the petite teacher on edge. His basic instincts as an assassin refused to fade no matter how hard he tried to ignore them. Iruka's nervousness had him on the brink of calling for Naruto when the glint of metal caught his eye from the darkness.

Years of training and reflexes saved the ex-assassin from the deadly stroke of a blade as he whirled to dodge it. Iruka heard his brother call out his name and that moment of distraction was all it took for the assailant to grab hold of him and suddenly he felt the warmth of a body pressed into his back and the cold of the blade against his throat. Survival instincts had him struggling against the hold, but the voice at his ear had the blood freezing in his veins. "Hello, Iruka. Did you miss me?"

Iruka knew that voice anywhere. His gaze locked with Naruto's, panic registering on the teen's whiskered face. Sasuke and Kakashi had identical expressions of calculation, the younger of the two falling into a defensive position.

"Mizuki," he hissed. The cool kiss of the knife at his throat shifted as Naruto tried to step closer to his sibling.

"Ah-ah-ah," sang the cold voice behind him. "You don't want your beloved _brother_ getting hurt, now do you?" Mizuki spat out the word 'brother' as if it disgusted him. Considering his opinion of Iruka's connection to the blond, it probably did. "And I don't recommend calling for help, either. That would mean a bad ending for our dear little Iruka." He pricked the end of the blade against the side of his neck to emphasize the threat, drawing a bead of blood that rolled down to the collar of Iruka's shirt.

"Kakashi, take the kids and get out of here," Iruka ground out through gritted teeth. It was taking all of his self control to stay calm and not reveal his true skills. He needed for all of them to leave so he could take care of Mizuki without having to worry about anyone else getting caught up in the fight. Iruka's attacker had a tendency to do just that.

"No!" Naruto burst out bravely. "We're not leaving without you!"

"Naruto, just go! I'll be fine!" He heard Mizuki chuckle behind him with demented amusement.

"Stubborn little fucker, isn't he? Orochimaru will definitely want to know how well he's grown up," Mizuki whispered in his ear. The teacher growled in response and kept his eyes on Naruto's whiskered face.

Iruka could see his brother fighting with something in his head and when he saw the decision Naruto made, Iruka finally began to feel the panic trickle into his mind. He shouted for his brother to stop, but Naruto had already lunged towards them in an effort to tackle Mizuki to the ground. The dark haired teacher had just enough time to shift his weight backwards against the body behind him, creating just enough distance between the blade and his throat for his hand to squeeze in and grip the metal to keep it from killing him.

Hot liquid spilled from the fresh wound in his palm as he wrenched himself from Mizuki's grip. Naruto was still in mid-lunge when Iruka intercepted him and redirected him back to where he calculated the other two males were before he turned back to the current threat. Iruka took in the sight of his ex-lover and went through every tactic he knew the white haired man could and would use. "Kakashi, get them out of here!" Iruka yelled over his shoulder, never once taking his eyes off of Mizuki.

"Yes, that's right. Listen to the little whore and run along so the adults can talk," Mizuki taunted, adjusting his grip on the blade excitedly. The same manic glint was still in his eyes, even after all these years.

Iruka sensed movement behind him and heard his brother's grunts of protest as he was dragged away from the fight. Mizuki's gaze flickered over to Iruka's left as Kakashi's voice came closer and closer. "There, now it's just us adults," he said. There was no emotion in his voice, just a cold emptiness that guaranteed pain and violence. It sent a shiver down Iruka's spine even though it was not directed at him.

Mizuki scoffed at him, unimpressed. "If you really think you can take me on, you're overestimating yourself," he insulted. His calculating stare honed in on Iruka once more as both sides sized up the other.

"I won't need to," Kakashi answered cryptically.

Nobody even got the chance to make a move as an engine roared and tires squealed against asphalt somewhere in the parking lot. A pair of headlights illuminated the three men as a car rounded the corner to face them. The driver of the car hit the gas and began speeding right for Mizuki, causing him to jump out of the way and land in between two cars. To Iruka's total bewilderment, it stopped right in front of Kakashi and him. The door to the backseat was thrown open and Naruto's face popped out yelling, "Get in!"

Without even processing what was going on around him, Iruka was being pushed from behind and herded into the vehicle. The car door had not even closed before it was speeding off again. There was utter chaos as limbs tangled in the backseat of the car clumsily. Naruto finally clambered into the front seat, leaving Kakashi and Iruka with a comfortable amount of room as they straightened up and gave Iruka a chance to finally catch his breath as he came down from the adrenaline high.

As his heart rate finally calmed down, Iruka's senses slowly returned to him. The car was eerily silent as Sasuke drove, his hands gripping the wheel with white knuckles as he broke the speed limit by an alarming margin. Iruka could see the lines of anger and adrenaline in the boy's shoulders. He really needed to calm down. Reaching out with his uninjured hand, the ex-assassin grasped Sasuke's shoulder firmly and spoke gently, "You can calm down now, Sasuke. We're safe now." Iruka did not exactly know how true that statement was, but the signs of tunnel vision the boy was showing were beginning to worry him.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered. He touched one of Sasuke's taut hands softly and pried it off of the wheel slowly. While the motion would have normally scared the shit out of Iruka, it seemed to wake the raven haired teen from his daze. "Relax. It's over."

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke finally exhaled the tension from his body and eased his foot from the gas pedal. Deeming him calm enough, Iruka sat back in his seat and tried to drain his own pent up tension. He knew that would not be the last time he would run into Mizuki, but that was a matter that would have to be dealt with later once he could think of something to tell Naruto so he would not ask questions. There seemed to be a collective intake of breath as they all ran through different thoughts about what had happened.

The silence was broken by none other than Iruka's own blond idiot. "What… _the fuck_… was that about?"

. . . . . .

A/N: And there ya go! Anyone still interested in what happens next? Me too! So, leave a review and let me know what you liked and what you didn't like so I can be better next time! Feel free to let me know what you'd like to see in the future as well and I'll see what I can do. Til next time!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Da-dada-dah! Chapter 5! We finally get a little peek into Iruka and Naruto's history here!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters depicted here. If I did, this is what would happen.

. . . . . .

Iruka ran his hands over his face tiredly. Naruto's question rang in his head like an eternal echo, '_What… _the fuck…_ was that about?'_

In all honesty, the little teacher had very little idea as to what that could have brought that on. He went through everything Mizuki had said, specifically analyzing the comment about Orochimaru. Iruka had thought that monster was dead by his own hands. Had he been mistaken? Or was Mizuki trying to rile him up? Iruka watched the scenery pass by his window as he thought. The place looked vaguely familiar and he looked up questioningly when he felt the car stop. Sasuke had taken them to a medical clinic.

"What are we doing here?" Naruto asked, echoing Iruka's own thought.

"Iruka's hurt," he replied bluntly, turning off the engine and looking at Iruka in the rearview mirror expectantly.

"You mean this scratch?" Iruka said, gesturing to his neck. "It's fine. I'll just slap on a band-aid and it'll be good as new." Really, he had hoped that no one else would notice his other injury. He could take care of it himself. Iruka had been keeping his right hand in a tight fist to help stop the blood flow, but that was not stopping the wet red spot on his jeans from growing where he held his hand out of sight unconsciously.

"He's talking about your hand, Iruka." Kakashi's calm voice made him jump, as usual. He cursed the man at that moment as Naruto's head whipped around to stare wide-eyed at his big brother.

"Wait, what is he talking about? What happened to your hand?" piped in Naruto. Hysteria colored his voice as his face screwed up in concentration, obviously going through his memories to try to figure out what could have happened.

"It's nothing I can't take care of myself," he answered tersely. "Please, Sasuke, take us home and I can take care of it there." Sasuke looked like he was about to argue, so Iruka cut him off, "Trust me, I've gone through much worse and came out fine without a doctor. Please."

There was a moment of tense silence that filled the car. Even Naruto had lowered his eyes as he recognized the truth behind Iruka's words. Just when the silence was beginning to be unbearable, Kakashi broke it. "Do as he says, Sasuke. We can take care of his hand in private and then have a discussion about earlier."

Iruka's stomach dropped at the mention of the upcoming discussion, but he could not find a way around it. All of them were no doubt wondering why he had been attacked and, knowing Mizuki, they were likely to be targeted themselves just because they were seen with Iruka. Especially Naruto, if the white haired man's words were anything to go on. They deserved to know what Iruka had unintentionally involved them in. That knowledge did not make things any easier for the ex-assassin.

Sasuke started up the car without another word and drove them back to Iruka's house. When they finally stepped into the door, Iruka quickly locked it behind them and said, "Wait here." Before he could hear any protests, the brunette was already moving to do a sweep through the rooms. He opened every door and locked every window, making sure they were alone and that it would stay that way. Not that Mizuki was above crashing through glass, but it would give them a warning beforehand. He was debating on checking the small space above the house that they used for storage when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Iruka's body gave an instinctual start and whirled around to defend himself. The fist he had sent flying was caught in a vice grip surprisingly easily and his body was suddenly pressed flush against someone else's. A couple of blinks later and the little brunette realized that he was nose to nose with Kakashi. The position sent a wave of déjà vu crashing over his hyper alert mind, leaving him dazed and confused. "There's no one here," he whispered. Cool breath ghosted over Iruka's lips and made him shiver unconsciously. "Now, let's get your hand taken care of. You're dripping blood all through your house."

Kakashi's voice was so low and calm as if he were trying to soothe a frightened animal. It was almost hypnotic. The brunette slowly nodded his head and allowed himself to be dragged into his kitchen. Naruto and Sasuke were already there with drinks in their hands, likely something sugary to take the edge off, sitting next to each other at the table. Iruka managed a reassuring smile at them both before being directed to the sink to have his cut washed. The pale hand that had been at his elbow moved down to his wrist to push the sleeve up and out of the way of the spray of water, making Iruka jerk in the iron grip.

"No," he said. "Don't worry about the sleeve." Iruka did not want Kakashi to see the marred skin and start asking more questions. Fate seemed to be frowning on him today, as his brother exhaled sharply.

"You might as well give up hiding it, Ru. He's going to see them eventually, if you guys keep dating, anyway," Naruto said, impatience and exasperation evident in his tone. He glanced over his shoulder at the blond who was wearing a very serious expression for someone so full of optimism all the time. "Seriously, Iruka. The guy was willing to help you fight someone who was trying to kill you. I think he's earned a little bit of trust," he added dryly.

His brother did have a point on both ends, but he was still reluctant to let anyone who was outside of his close circle of friends see what lies beneath his clothing. No one but the guys at the orphanage and his doctor knew what his skin looked like. Iruka closed his eyes and slowly nodded his head in defeat. The sleeve slid against his skin almost hesitantly and there was a sharp intake of breath, barely noticeable to anyone who was not listening for it.

Brown eyes cracked open hesitantly to take in the familiar swirls and designs that had been etched into his skin all those years ago. To anyone else they might look like light colored tattoos, but a closer inspection would reveal the slight marbling of the scar tissue and puckering around the edges that could only be caused from burns. Iruka looked over at Kakashi to see his reaction, but he just looked on with a carefully blank face before guiding his clenched fist under the gentle flow of water.

The sting of the water flowing into his wound barely registered in his mind. Kakashi's pale fingers gently worked their way under Iruka's and tried to make them loosen so he could properly clean the wound. Taking a deep breath, he let his hand relax and swallowed the gasp of pain as blood surged into the deprived veins and inevitably began gushing from the cut alarmingly. The water turned crimson as it rolled from his fingers and swirled down the drain. Iruka reached for his wrist to cut off the blood flow again, but Kakashi beat him to it. He worked quickly and efficiently, seeming to know what he was doing as he grabbed a piece of paper towel to lightly dab the gash.

When Iruka's hand began going numb again from lack of circulation, the wound was finally clear enough to actually see how deep it went. It was not as dire as it seemed. From the way Iruka had grabbed the knife, it had only bit into the meaty part at the bottom of his palm, thankfully. Any farther up and it would likely have severed a few crucial tendons and damaged the mobility of his hand. It was deep enough that it needed something to meld it together so it would not begin bleeding again, but not so deep as to require a needle and thread. Iruka was positive that they had liquid stitches in the first aid kit in the bathroom that would suffice…

As if reading his thoughts, Naruto silently set the little white box with the red cross emblazoned on the front on the counter next to Iruka and rummaged through it without looking at his brother. It was not the first time he had had to help his older brother mend his wounds, and he had seen much worse. The blond was usually one to pry into every detail of his brother's life, but in the past when the brunette would come home with a bleeding appendage and a myriad of bruises in the middle of the night, Naruto wordlessly helped Iruka and the situation was forgotten about the next day. Being as young as they had been, they were able to pass the injuries off as clumsiness while roughhousing and learned how to treat them from Sarutobi-sensei.

With well practiced movements, Naruto disinfected the wound with hydrogen peroxide, then grabbed the liquid stitches and ran the little tube down the length of the cut to seal it shut. "Ease off his wrist slowly," he mumbled to Kakashi.

The silver haired man did as he was told and feeling crept back into Iruka's hand. He could feel the strangest sensation as the blood tried to flow through the gel in his wound, but it held and turned the skin a very angry red around it instead. Satisfied with their work, Naruto grabbed a square of gauze and folded it in half to lie across the cut to keep it clean. He pulled out the roll of medical tape and handed it to Iruka, looking him in the eye and nodding before taking his seat next to Sasuke.

Silence reigned as Iruka tried to find the words to begin his tale and his connection to Mizuki while he wrapped his hand expertly. He obviously had to omit the fact that he used to be an assassin until he and Naruto were alone. Although Kakashi had indeed been prepared to fight with him, there were just some things that needed to be left unsaid for the safety of everyone involved. While he was wondering where to begin, he just decided to start at the beginning. "I met Mizuki when I was twelve years old. Right after these happened," he said quietly, staring at his still bare forearm and lifting it in reference. "He wasn't part of our orphanage, so at one point we just decided to sneak out at night to see each other. Naruto should remember. I just never told you the name before because you were only six and didn't need to know." Iruka shrugged and snuck a glance up at his little brother to find him looking back solemnly. The brunette went back to gaze at his arm and continued his tale, editing it as he went. "We started dating officially when we were fifteen. Everything was great, but there was always something off about him. We were together for about three years and I broke it off when his… obsession with me took a giant leap into stalker territory."

The little teacher's eyes grew glassy as he was lost in his memories, completely forgetting about the others in the room as if he were simply speaking to himself. "Things took a turn for the worse because he already got very easily jealous of every male I talked or even walked too close to when I went shopping with Sarutobi-sensei. Apparently he followed and watched me during the day and I would always hear about everything when I went to see him at night. The last night got to be too much and I ended it. He… didn't take it very well. Things got violent and I got banged up pretty badly. Naruto took care of me when I got home," Iruka let out an ironic chuckle, "he had gotten used to waking up at the early hours I would sneak back into the orphanage so he could make sure the 'coast was clear.' The first time it happened I yelled at him about kids needing their sleep, but I gave up because I couldn't get past his stubbornness.

Anyway, I never saw him again until tonight. I'm guessing that he attacked me out of jealousy because we've gone on a couple of dates." Seeing as Iruka's only relationship in life had been Mizuki, he did not know if going on a couple of dates was considered 'dating.' He had heard from the murmurings of his female students that there was a difference between the two. There was also that kiss, but Iruka was not about to bring that up in front of the teenagers. Namely a certain exuberant blond.

"That doesn't explain his comment about Naruto," Sasuke said sharply, breaking the silence that had fallen when Iruka had finished explaining.

"He had always been that way about my brother. Mizuki's jealousy made him think there was more than a brotherly bond between us," Iruka explained simply.

Sasuke's stoic expression hardened into determination. "He mentioned Orochi-"

"Sasuke, that's enough," snapped Kakashi. It was barely more than a mumble, but the underlining tone of sheer command had the boy backing down grudgingly. He shot daggers at Kakashi with the intensity of his glare.

Perhaps he was just imagining things, but had that been a note of recognition towards Orochimaru? Iruka did a mental calculation of everyone he had trained with, and the young Uchiha was not one of them. Then again, the snake most likely had more than one hideout where he turned children into killers. There was a tense air in the room as everyone seemed to process everything that had happened and everything that was said.

A glance at the clock showed Iruka that it was nearing ten p.m. Now came the decision on what to do next. He could send Kakashi and Sasuke home in an attempt to get them as far from him as possible to protect them, but there was no telling how long his ex-lover had been keeping an eye on them. For all Iruka knew, Mizuki had already spied on Kakashi after their first date and probably knew where he lived. On the other hand, keeping them here was also a risk if Mizuki came after Iruka again, but he would be prepared this time. Assuming Mizuki would be able to figure out what Iruka would do, having Kakashi and Sasuke stay with him seemed to be their best option if the chocolate haired man wanted to protect them. He nodded his head once to himself and lifted his head to address the rest of the room, then his blond idiot cut him off.

"So, how we gonna do this, Ruka-nii? You gonna bunk with me and let them have your room?" Naruto proposed.

"What are you talking about, dobe?" Sasuke retorted snidely, but was not altogether unfriendly. Naruto bristled and grew a snide grin in return, but his brother talked over him.

"For your own safety," Iruka explained, "it would be best for you and Kakashi to stay here. If we split up, there would be no telling if he would target you two just to get back at me. This way, I'd be better prepared to keep everyone safe."

"Iruka's right," Kakashi cut in. "Honestly, Sasuke, did you really think I'd let him out of my sight after that?" he teased in his signature bored tone.

The teacher nodded once in agreement before his thoughts caught up with him. "Wait a minute, what?" he asked intelligently. "You were planning to stay even before I said anything?"

The silver haired businessman chuckled in reply. "I'll just let you ponder that on your own while I go take care of some business." With that said, he turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen, phone in hand.

Iruka gave the receding back an exasperated shake of his head, but did not comment any further. He had other things to worry about. The brothers lived in a two bedroom house that was all on one level; it was small and efficient for their needs. The thought of him sharing his room with Kakashi and having the boys share Naruto's room was quickly discarded. Despite the teens' unspoken truce, Iruka was trying to _prevent_ someone getting killed, not _provoke_ it. He thought for a moment later before deciding his brother's idea was probably the best. "Sasuke-kun, would you mind sharing a room with Kakashi for the night?" Receiving a nod, he continued, "Then I'll go set things up for you two. I'm sure we have an air mattress around here somewhere for camping so you won't have to share a bed. Naruto, would you mind lending our guest a pair of sleeping clothes? And you are more than welcome to make use of the shower, Sasuke-kun. Towels are in the closet in the bathroom."

The young Uchiha had that odd, surprised look on his face again, as if he were not used to such kindness. Iruka chose to ignore this and just offered him a warm smile before walking out of the kitchen and heading to his bedroom to make the sleeping arrangements for his guests. He could hear Kakashi's low voice in the living room, presumably taking care of his 'business,' whatever that was. Mentally shrugging, the little teacher pulled the air mattress out from the back of his closet and set it up next to the bed, leaving the little electric pump running while he fetched some bedding. He left the pillow, sheet, and quilt folded on the little mattress for the user to spread as they saw fit before going around the room and checking on the real reason for putting his guests in this room.

Even though he had wanted to leave his life as an assassin behind him, Iruka could not bring himself to disable the traps he had strategically placed around the house. They were mostly located around the bedrooms where they were most vulnerable while they slept. Some would trap intruders and others would set off alarm systems. None of them were visible to anyone who did not know they were there as they were built into the walls and around the windows. They were all specially made to only activate from an outside intrusion, which Naruto learned the hard way when he had tried to sneak back into his room one night. In short, they made him feel _safe._ Seeing that all of the traps were fully operational, he made a quick trip to Naruto's room to check the same thing and came out with the same result.

Feeling suddenly drained now that his checklist of things to do was finished, Iruka shuffled to the kitchen for a nice cup of tea to calm his nerves. The usual ritual of setting up the kettle to boil the water for the tea leaves was more comforting than the scarred man had ever thought. Iruka turned and leaned against the counter, tiredly rubbing at the tense muscles of his neck and finally noticing that he was alone in the room. As the thought entered his mind, he heard the water turn on for the shower and guessed that the young Uchiha had taken him up on his offer for a shower. He allowed himself a few minutes of rest against the countertop while he waited for the water to boil, closing his eyes with his hand still grasping sore muscles of his neck.

"How did you get those scars?" said a voice from the doorway. Iruka gave a little jump of surprise and looked at the speaker. Sasuke was standing there, mimicking his guardian's earlier posture of leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. Belatedly, Iruka realized that he never pulled his sleeve back down and his scars were still showing.

Self-consciously, the honey-toned man pulled the sleeve back down and kept his eyes on the young teen's face as he said, "Trust me, that's not a story you want to hear."

"Try me," Sasuke pressed.

Iruka sighed sharply and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, massaging where the scar crossed it. "Look, I appreciate the part you played in the rescue, but there are just some things that you don't need to know and that I don't want to tell you. Not because I'm trying to hide it to protect you or anything," he cut off the teen's protest. "But, because I am… for lack of a better word, deeply ashamed of them and would rather not talk about them. Just like I know you wouldn't want to talk about your parents if I asked you about them. So please, just leave it, Sasuke." Finishing his tirade, the little teacher slumped against the counter completely exhausted. He ran his hands over his face, wishing his student would take the hint and leave him in peace.

"My parents were murdered," Sasuke whispered, causing the older male's blood to freeze. "Orochimaru had them killed."

Iruka's head snapped up in shock, but the boy had already gone and his kettle had begun whistling to signify the water was boiling. With rushed motions, Iruka pulled the kettle off the stove and poured it into a cup with a packet of tea leaves to sit. That done, he left the kitchen to find Sasuke only to see him going into the bathroom just as Naruto was coming out of it. The look on the blond's face as he watched the door close said it all. Sasuke was _not_ okay. _And it's all my fault,_ Iruka realized. _Damn it!_

"What's wrong with him all of a sudden?" Naruto asked, gesturing at the bathroom door with his thumb.

Iruka could not bring himself to care that his brother was once more walking around in nothing but a towel with guests in the house. He also could not bear to lie to him or brush him off any more. "He asked about my scars," he said resignedly. "And I kind of told him off and mentioned his parents. That was wrong of me, and I shouldn't have even brought that up—"

"No, Iruka. Sasuke was wrong to push the issue," Kakashi interrupted from behind the elder brother. The ex-assassin must have been either too tired or too used to the businessman's antics of showing up silently to be startled. Something about repeated exposure and adaptation ran through Iruka's mind, but was put aside as irrelevant as he turned to respond to the other man.

"I still need to apologize," Iruka insisted. It just would not do in his book to leave such a conversation like that. Sure, he had been defending his own privacy, but that was still no excuse to have said what he did.

"Look, we're all just tired and stressed from what happened. After we've all slept and cooled our nerves, we can talk things through in the morning," Kakashi proposed.

Iruka knew he was right, but his heart was breaking after having made someone divulge information like that. To placate his guest, he nodded his head slowly in agreement, allowing his shoulders to slump in a not-so-forced display of exhaustion. "I already set up my room for you and Sasuke. I hope you don't mind sharing a room with him, but I put down an air mattress to make things easier." He held his hand out in a gesture for the other man to go ahead of him, and instead, Kakashi caught his fingers and laced them through his own shamelessly. Iruka blushed, but did not comment as he led the taller male down the hall to his room. "I don't think I have anything for you to sleep in, unfortunately. You're, uhh… quite a bit bigger than me," Iruka added.

"Maa, no worries," Kakashi said, lifting his bag that Iruka had not noticed before. Upon seeing the shorter man's questioning expression, he continued, "I always keep a change of clothes in the trunk in case I get caught up in the office over night."

"Oh… Smart," he commented absently, suddenly a little nervous as they stood in the doorway to his personal space. No one other than Naruto and probably Kotetsu or Izumo had ever been in his room without him. With all of the warning bells that went off around the charismatic businessman, Iruka was a little apprehensive about the whole situation. Then again, 'the whole situation' was because of the run in with Mizuki, so perhaps the ex-assassin was more than justified in his anxiety. "Well… here you go," he said uncertainly. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Well, there is one thing…" Kakashi drawled as he stepped into the room, turning to face his host. The silver haired man leaned forward with both of his elbows resting on either side of the doorframe, putting both men at the same eye level. Then, he leaned forward slightly with a devilishly sexy grin on his face and said, "A goodnight kiss would be nice."

A goodnight kiss? After everything that has happened over the night? That is what was on the man's mind and not the fact that they could be in danger, even at that very moment? Iruka could not understand, but some part of him whispered in the back of his mind that he had been on a rather pleasant date with the man beforehand and would have come to this situation regardless.

The little teacher's body seemed to understand this as it leaned towards the taller male on its own and his cheeks colored with blush. He was not sure who leaned forward first, but as soon as their lips made contact, Iruka could not hold back a small gasp when he felt the velvety smooth texture against his mouth. The kiss was light and sweet, the complete opposite of the hungry and feverish kisses that Mizuki had stolen from him as a teenager. As the older man began to pull back from the kiss, Iruka almost whimpered at the loss before Kakashi pressed another small peck at the corner of his lips and leaned in further to whisper in his ear, "Goodnight, Iruka." The deep baritone of his voice and the way he always seemed to half purr, half growl his name made his knees go weak.

All too soon, the door was closing on a very lightheaded and pink-faced teacher who could only manage to whisper a goodnight in return as the door latched. Iruka stood there for a few more moments in a daze before he finally came to his senses and walked over to his brother's room to find the blond sitting on his bed with a roguish grin spread across his features. It took a few moments, but when the brunette figured out what had caused the look, he braced himself for the onslaught of questions his little brother was about to unleash on him. Another few moments of silence passed and the teacher grew weary. Naruto simply shrugged off his brother's awkwardness and turned to lie down on his bed, leaving enough room for the older male. He said, "I'll ask you about it later. You're dead on your feet, so get over here and sleep."

Iruka could not stop the small chuckle at the usually hidden side of his brother that was actually considerate. He grabbed one of Naruto's baggier sleeping shirts and stripped his pants to sleep in his boxers. Noting how the t-shirt fit him made Iruka inwardly cringe at how much his little brother had grown. At this rate, he would not be able to call him his 'little' brother for much longer. He lay down next to the blond and turned off the bedside lamp, casting the brothers into darkness.

Almost immediately, Naruto began to snore as he dropped off into the realm of dreams. Iruka, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The sounds of the shower running stopped, reminding the older male of his other guest and how he had slighted him not too long ago. Guilt weighed heavily on his conscience, making him get out of the bed carefully so as to not wake his brother, and slipped out of the room silently to wait for his student to finish his business in the bathroom.

When the raven haired teenager finally stepped from the bathroom, Iruka stepped forward and cleared his throat to announce his presence. "Sasuke-kun," he began.

"Don't," the teen cut him off. "Don't apologize over something so unnecessary." Sasuke's tone was flat and emotionless, but even in the dark the ex-assassin could read the tiredness and regret in the boy's eyes. There was also a certain look of time to his gaze, as if he had had to grow up far too quickly for his age just like he himself had, which pulled at Iruka's heart. Before he even knew what he was doing, he pulled the young man to him in a small embrace.

"There is no excuse to have said the things I said, and for that I am sorry. As for everything else… just let me tell you that I share your pain, in more ways than you know," Iruka found himself saying gently. When the younger male stiffened in response, he realized belatedly that he was hugging his student in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Ignoring the burn of embarrassment and forcing the blood from his face expertly, why he could never seem to do that around a certain sexy businessman, he would never know, Iruka cleared his throat and released the boy, pointing at his bedroom door. "That's where you'll be sleeping. Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

Foregoing a response at all, Sasuke simply turned on his heel and stalked silently down the hall and disappeared behind the door. Iruka slumped against the wall of the hallway, mentally kicking and yelling at himself for not having better impulse control. He let out a long sigh, rubbing at the still tense muscles of his shoulders and neck. Now that his guests had finally retired to possibly the safest room in the house, other than Naruto's, and his brother was fast asleep, Iruka made his way to the living room to keep watch in case Mizuki decided to pay him a visit again. The threat had never left his mind and meant that he would not be able to sleep even if he tried. Stress had a way of keeping the tanned male awake and putting a damper on his appetite.

The thought of his appetite had him retrieving his now cold cup of tea that he had made earlier. Not even considering putting it through the microwave to warm it back up, he dumped the contents and rinsed the cup with automatic movements before going back to the living room. He paced the small area, taking what comfort he could from the familiarity of it. Time passed as the angle of moonlight spilling from the window moved across the floor and furniture.

He went through every scenario he could in his mind, preparing himself the way he would before a mission. Obviously, the decision to ignore any and all of his skills as an assassin had been a mistake. If the cut on his hand was any indication, Iruka should not have let his skills waver despite removing himself from the profession. As if thinking about his abilities had awakened them, he managed to stay perfectly still as a voice rumbled from the darkness.

"Can't sleep?" Kakashi said quietly. The silver haired man stepped from the shadow of the hallway and made Iruka's heart skip a beat as he stepped into the moonlight. The silver strands turned almost iridescent and the man's face appeared more angular as shadows danced on the planes of his facial features. If Iruka had thought the man sexy before, now he was drop dead gorgeous.

Iruka kept his features schooled in a mask of calm, although he was unable to keep the blush from rushing to his face as usual. He scowled mentally as he thought that he needed to improve on that skill. In response to the other man's question, the brunette shook his head and said, "Neither can you, I see."

A deep chuckle filled the room, sending an almost imperceptible shiver through Iruka's body. "What shall we do to remedy that, do you think?" Kakashi asked, stepping closer and closer to the younger man, causing him to blush further. At the sight of the cute, pinkish hue dusting across a scarred nose, the businessman let out another low chuckle before bending down to kiss the startled man lightly. _Oh, this is going to be fun,_ he thought to himself, knowing the petite teacher was going to need a hefty distraction if he was going to get any rest that night. The sly smirk that braced Kakashi's lips was the only warning he gave before deepening the kiss and guiding the shorter male to the couch.

. . . . . .

A/N: I know that is a horrible place to end a chapter, but please don't kill me yet! *dodges random flying objects* If it makes you feel any better, I did it because of the ridiculously long time it takes me to write… scenes like that because they get very lengthy with me. So, hopefully that will make up for it somewhat.

Other than that, what did you think? Pleeeaassse let me know! Til next time!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I am so sorry you guys! Because of Thanksgiving I didn't have much time to write and then I moved so I didn't have internet for a while and couldn't post anything. But better late than never right?!

There were sooo maaannyyy reviews! I love them all and thank each and every one of you for reading this story. Especially if you faved or follow it! Something that a lot of you are probably wondering is why Kakashi is so set on coming on to Iruka even after all that stuff happened. Well, because of his skills and resources, paired with Iruka's, he doesn't feel threatened at all. So, he's just trying to help Iruka to relax so he can rest and have a clear head. He might seem like he just wants in Iruka's pants, but it's for a good reason! (other than a certain fangirl wanting smut in every chapter… *cough Miracchi cough cough* xD) Almost nothing that happens in this story is random. Remember that!

Special shout out to Miracchi, shadow visor, and SlytherinPrincess19 for sticking with this story every step of the way!

Disclaimer: how many different ways can I say that I own nothing in this story other than the semi-non-existent plot? (I just type as I think of stuffs because I gave up trying to have a set plot. No one ever does what I think they will anyways. There is an end in mind, but how long it takes to get there is waaayyyy up in the air…)

Warnings: Gets kinda dark here guys… I seriously had no idea most of this would happen until I wrote it… I mean, I knew we'd see into Iruka's past… but damn…. Oh and there's some citrusy goodness as well!

. . . . . .

Sasuke was not asleep. He would not have been able to sleep after the events of the evening even if he tried, particularly because of his conversations with Iruka. The teen had always been able to put up a frosty front whenever his parents or Orochimaru were mentioned, but knowing that the brothers had possibly gone through the same shit he did made him… softer towards them. Not that they ever needed to know that.

Hours passed with him simply lying on the borrowed air mattress as Sasuke carefully analyzed every feeling and emotion that flitted through him while he listened to the sounds of the night. After his few years with Orochimaru, coupled with the abilities he was born with, Sasuke's senses were acute enough to know exactly who was where in the compact home even though his mind was otherwise occupied. So, he knew the exact moment his silver haired guardian decided to join the pacing teacher out in the living room.

Kakashi got up from the bed and stopped at the doorway to whisper, "You may or may not want to be here when I get back."

The onyx eyed teen kept the grimace from his face as he figured out what that could mean. Not that he was opposed to Kakashi having a partner of the same gender, as the man never really cared about Sasuke's own preferences –the man had gone so far as to tell him so his first night staying with him, even though Sasuke made it clear he had no interest in anyone–, but the thought of his teacher being the object of Kakashi's attentions made him want to scowl. Usually, the one eyed man would have his pleasures and his partners would be gone before sunrise, most leaving of their own accord with only a few needing to be smoothly talked out of the house. Sasuke found himself hoping that he would not do the same to Iruka and silently pondered why he would think that way. Moments after Kakashi's supposedly silent footsteps receded down the hallway, Sasuke considered his options of relocating for the night.

The bathroom was out of the question since it was right next to where he needed to escape and he had no desire whatsoever to spend the night in the loo. The kitchen was also a no go for the same reason. He supposed he could wait in the kitchen until the living room was vacated, but the living room was so open, sounds would travel much easier. Sasuke was contemplating sneaking out to sleep in the car when a loud snore reminded him of the other room in the house.

_Tch, that dobe probably wouldn't even keep his room clean enough to walk in_, Sasuke thought mockingly. Though, Naruto's room was across and down the hall, so there would be the least chance of accidentally overhearing Kakashi and Iruka's… activities. Mind made up before he could change it, Sasuke slipped out of the room and saw his guardian slash mentor watching the scarred male from the shadows, before he silently crept into his rival's open bedroom door and closed it behind him.

What he found actually surprised Sasuke. There were clothes hanging from the drawers of the dresser and a few littered near the dirty clothes basket, but other than that the room was clean and quite spacious. A few posters decorated the walls along with a bulletin board that had pictures tacked to it with other miscellaneous memorabilia. With a little spur of curiosity, Sasuke wandered over to the bulletin board to observe the pictures.

Something that Sasuke had not noticed from the pictures he had seen in the kitchen was a few pictures of Naruto from when he was very young. When these pictures were taken, Naruto did not have the whisker-like scars fanning his cheeks. When he found one without them, charcoal eyes examined it as well as they could in the dark and took a good long look. Iruka was standing next to Naruto at the beach, both of them only wearing swim trunks. They looked to be around 3 and 9 years old and neither had a scar on their body other than the one crossing Iruka's nose and a banged up knee on Naruto's part. A moment's searching found a picture taken a couple years later with Naruto's scars present and Iruka in his usual long sleeved shirt. Sasuke vaguely wondered if there was a connection and glanced at the blond head of hair that was peeking from under the covers. What was their story?

"Ya gonna stand there all night or lie down?" Naruto's voice broke through the Uchiha's reverie and made him glad the blond had his back to him as his body gave an instinctual start. Naruto lifted the blanket next to him in an open invitation, but Sasuke made no move towards the bed. He contemplated the other teen's question for a few minutes and decided Naruto most likely thought Sasuke was actually Iruka. He was about to inform him otherwise, but was cut off. "Suit yourself, teme," Naruto continued with a shrug of his shoulder, dropping the blanket back to the bed. "I don't have any extra bedding and I doubt you're gonna wanna leave at this point to get some. Just thought you'd wanna be comfortable."

Hearing the blond's self-proclaimed nickname for him being mumbled into a pillow, Sasuke had to hide his smirk in the dark. The blond was more perceptive than he had given him credit for, even when feigning sleep. Still, Naruto did have a point… Hearing things he could not help, but he could –and would at all costs– avoid any situation that might cause him to _see_ things. One last glance at the door had Sasuke slowly, almost hesitatingly, sinking onto his rival's bed.

To say things felt awkward for Sasuke would be an understatement. The last time he had had to share a bed with someone was when he first started training and had to bunk with one of the others. He ignored the surfacing memories studiously and turned on his side, putting his back to Naruto's and staying near the edge of the bed. Even at that distance, Sasuke could feel the heat that radiated off of the other's body on his back. It made his front feel almost doubly cold, and being in shorts and a t-shirt on top of the covers did not help matters either. Sasuke's body shivered before he could stop it, causing his temporary roommate to scoff and sigh disapprovingly behind him.

He felt the blond shift on the bed, and the next thing Sasuke knew, he was bracing a hand and foot against the floor to keep from falling off of the bed completely after Naruto had yanked the covers out from under him. Annoyance bubbled up inside him, causing the black haired teen to roll back onto the bed and come face to face with the infuriating blond sitting up next to him. "What the hell was that for, baka?!" he hissed quietly.

"Who the hell're you calling 'baka'? You're the baka who didn't get under the blanket! They're made to keep you warm ya know!" Naruto hissed in return.

Both boys glared at each other, daring the other to speak. Finally, Naruto huffed in frustration and broke the eye contact. "Just…" he began, letting out another sigh, "just cover up and go to sleep, would ya?" With a tired jerk of his wrists, the blanket was laid over both of them as Naruto snuggled back underneath them.

Taking one more second to just glare at the exasperating teen, Sasuke settled under the blankets to lie on his back and resumed staring at the ceiling in thought. He had to admit that he was much more comfortable underneath the covers, especially with Naruto's extra body heat creating a soothing cocoon of warmth. Sasuke instinctively opened his senses to confirm the whereabouts of the other people in the house, but found he was having a little bit of trouble hearing much of anything. He wondered if they were just being quiet or if they had left. Come to think of it, as soon as the raven haired teen had shut the door, the sounds of Iruka's pacing feet had ceased. Sasuke had thought he had merely stopped, but now he could hear nothing but the steady sound of Naruto's breathing.

"Hey," Naruto whispered suddenly. "You wanted to know about the scars, right?"

The question was so unexpected, that Sasuke could only turn his head in bewilderment at the blond's words. Admittedly, he _was_ really curious as to how Iruka got them, but after the way his teacher had snapped at him, Sasuke had resigned himself to not knowing. When nothing but silence met his question, Naruto rolled over to face the other male and propped himself up on his elbow.

"Do you still wanna know?" he asked.

Sasuke rolled over in a mirror of Naruto's posture and said in return, "I thought he didn't want anyone to know."

"Nah, it's just that he hates to tell the story himself," Naruto replied nonchalantly.

"And he would be all right with you telling the story?" Sasuke asked, a single eyebrow rose in disbelief.

"It's not just his story alone to tell," the blond said cryptically, running his fingers down the whisker-scars on his face.

A spark of understanding lit in Sasuke's mind as his earlier suspicion was confirmed, and he found himself nodding. "So, what's the story?"

As the tale was told, Sasuke had to visibly keep himself from glaring the blackest glare he could manage, instead opting to fist his hands on the blanket in pure rage on the brothers' behalf.

. . . . . .

Iruka felt the couch hit the backs of his legs, giving him a reason to break the kiss in order to sit down. That was what he thought would happen, anyway. What actually happened was, Kakashi followed him and was now hovering right above his body, kiss unbroken. If anything, the movement deepened the kiss and further scrambled any and all thoughts left in the little teacher's mind. Kakashi's lips were just so damn soft and coaxing…

_This is a bad idea. _

Kakashi's lips molded themselves around his own, moving in a sinuous dance that had Iruka's body responding all on its own. The pain in Iruka's injured palm helped clear his head a little as he clutched at the material of Kakashi's nightshirt. Whether he was trying to push the man away or crush him closer was still a mystery.

_Mizuki could crash in at any moment. _

A warm tongue flicked across Iruka's bottom lip, asking for permission. With the battle raging in the tanned man's mind, he did not part his lips. Kakashi was completely undeterred, instead he patiently lapped and nibbled teasingly until a stray hand slid its way up Iruka's side and made him gasp. The touch was light enough to be teasing, but firm enough not to tickle. It was all completely maddening and heavenly.

_I need to be ready for anything._

The tongue that had been seeking entry had barely touched the inside of Iruka's lips before the ex-assassin tried to push him away firmly. Failing this, he quickly turned his head to the side to break the kiss while he was still in the frame of mind to actually do so. "W-wait," he stuttered, gasping for air and trying to string together some semblance of thought and fight the attraction that was vying heavily for his attention. "We… we can't do this."

The sexy businessman looked down at him with that one eyed gaze calmly and moved his ministrations down a cinnamon jaw to his ear. Not even out of breath, he asked, "Why?"

"Because Mizuki could attack at any moment and I need to be ready for anything," he recited the words his mind had been chanting at him. Iruka was still having trouble calming his heartbeat with Kakashi so close. The oddly familiar heat that radiated between them was making it extremely difficult to think.

"Iruka," Kakashi murmured gently, attempting to reason with him. "The only thing you need is to relax and get a decent night's sleep. Besides, I think between the three of us, we won't have to worry."

"'Three of us'?" the scarred teacher inquired, completely confused. Could he be referring to Naruto or Sasuke?

"I called in some back up earlier, to help keep everyone safe. My own personal head of security," he replied in that same, soothing tone. "You have nothing to worry about with him outside, Iruka. Trust me."

'_I think he's earned a little bit of trust._'

Naruto's words rang in Iruka's head again and again. Had this been any other situation, perhaps the little teacher would trust the other male… but they were talking about the safety of his family and student against a specially trained, psychopathic, jealous assassin. Iruka could not help but worry, no matter the reassurances. The only person that could even possibly stand a chance against Mizuki was Iruka himself, and that was only because he knew his moves already from training with him. Physically, Mizuki had always been the stronger, but Iruka had speed and cunning on his side, both of which would be severely limited if he were distracted by a certain sexy businessman that could turn his brain to complete mush with a single kiss.

A low chuckle broke the dark haired man from his reverie. "You know, getting underestimated like this twice in one night is starting to hurt my ego."

Feeling a little guilty, Iruka ran his un-bandaged hand through silver hair to make Kakashi look at him and said gently, "It's not that I'm underestimating you. It's just that you don't know Mizuki like I do. You don't know what he's capable of."

"Let me ask you this, then. Do you know what _I'm_ capable of?"

The light, easy tone paired with the twinkle of amusement in Kakashi's eye as he said that caught Iruka off guard and made him think. He really did not know much about Kakashi other than his profession and his taste in coffee. In his moment of hesitation, Iruka felt a hand on his wrist and there was a blur of motion with the sound of rushing air. He let out a surprised gasp as his back hit the chair across from the couch and made it skid back a good foot and a half. Suddenly, the light from the living room window was cut off and there was a weight resting on his collar bone.

"If I'd had a knife, you'd be dead right about now," Kakashi whispered teasingly in his ear. He could almost feel the other man's grin against his cheek.

Thoughts swirled through Iruka's mind as he tried to think against the fog of surprise and lingering arousal. The worried part of him was temporarily put on hold as it processed information and possible scenarios. The indignant and competitive part of Iruka had him analyzing the businessman from head to toe. The image that met him was an arrogant smile and almost lazy posture as he leaned over the smaller man that had tendrils of a memory tickling his mind.

Iruka's eye twitched in annoyance and challenge. Fine, if Kakashi thought he could take on an ex-master assassin, let him try. The smaller man hooked his leg behind Kakashi's knee and shoved hard at his shoulders to make him lose his balance and back off. It worked well enough to give Iruka the barest amount of room to stand up and twist away nimbly. His mind automatically fell into fight mode from years of use. The ex-assassin still had the presence of mind to hold back from actually killing the man, but he made no promises about injuries if Kakashi had some sort of ace up his sleeve. The businessman's seemingly natural strength was definitely not earned through doing paperwork.

"You're almost serious," Kakashi observed. "Good."

In a lightning fast motion, Kakashi's hand lashed out to get a hold of Iruka again. It was effectively blocked and caught in return. Another agile spin of Iruka's body had him pinning the taller man's arm behind his back, but before he could get it properly locked in place, the broad shouldered man in front of him spun and dropped down to kick Iruka's legs out from under him. A couple of rolls, punches, kicks, and grunts later, the smaller male had a body hovering over him and Kakashi's hand was once more at his collar bone with his fingers fanning up the length of his throat teasingly. "That's twice, now, I could've killed you."

A growl of frustration escaped Iruka's throat as he expertly swatted the hand away and maneuvered himself out from under the larger man's body. Something told him that Kakashi had _let_ him get back up, and that only frustrated him further. Iruka was only holding back from killing the man, and yet he had the gall to stand there and _smirk_ like that?

_Wait… why would he be able to feel confident enough to be that aloof? Think, Iruka, think!_

Needing a final confirmation, Iruka made the first move and went completely on the offensive. That was when he realized, _Kakashi was fast._ Even when Iruka was using his full abilities with killing intent, through the flurry of blows he was aiming at the man, Kakashi could _dodge them_. He was not even blocking, just moving out of the way with swift movements. Iruka had to force himself to calm down so his competitive side would not over shadow his mind and distract him. A stroke of luck hit and Iruka was finally able to land a solid kick that earned a grunt from his opponent. He seized the opportunity to once more pin the businessman's arm behind his back and bend him over the arm of the couch to immobilize him.

Iruka's victory was very short lived. Seconds after Kakashi's chest had touched the furniture, he reached back to grab the back of Iruka's head with his free hand and sprang up and forward with his powerful legs. The force of the jump had them somersaulting onto the couch with the silver haired man rolling the length of Iruka, squishing the breath out of him. In the blink of an eye, Kakashi's impossible quickness had him pinning the little teacher's entire body to the couch with one hand at his throat for a final time.

"And that makes three." The lips that whispered the words at Iruka's ear tickled his sensitive skin. Iruka's mind was whirring, factoring in their chances of survival with his newfound knowledge of Kakashi's abilities. He had to admit, they looked much better than before. He felt the man above him move his nose along his cheek lightly until they came eye to eye. "Do you believe me now?"

Iruka only managed a nod of his head before Kakashi was pressing his lips against his own. He almost let the kiss happen, but had to be sure of something. "How good is your security guy?"

"Heh, let me put it to you this way. Out of all the times I have sparred with him, I only win a little over half the time," Kakashi answered with a chuckle. "Now please, allow me to help you relax, Iruka."

As usual, the sound of his name from the silver haired man's lips had shivers running down his spine. He could swear Kakashi knew exactly what it did to him. Iruka's halfhearted protests were cut off by a pair of lips attaching to his once again. Even though he truly could not understand why Kakashi wanted to kiss him so badly, the heavenly pressure the other man applied with his lips was hard not to melt into. With his worries temporarily shoved to the side, attraction and arousal became the most dominant in Iruka's scrambled mind.

Later, Iruka would realize that it had been on Kakashi's mind the entire time they were fighting, which would make him wonder how he had done so well even with the distraction of arousal weighing down his mind.

Finally giving in to the kiss, Iruka allowed his arms to wind themselves around Kakashi's shoulders. There was an approving growl coming from the silver haired man's throat that had tingles shooting through Iruka's body, and entrance was finally granted to the questing tongue. It slid slickly into the welcoming cavern and brushed against the smaller man's shy tongue, charming it to respond. Iruka lost himself within the twining of tongues in seconds. This was nothing like when he was with Mizuki. Where he had been possessive and almost violent with his kisses, Kakashi was soft and patient, slow and languid. It was breathtaking.

Kakashi's hand once more slid down the teacher's side and made him gasp at the feeling. He broke the kiss to get some much needed oxygen, but that did not stop Kakashi from trailing his sinuous lips down his jaw, creating the same spine tingling sensations as before. Those sensations were completely intensified when Iruka felt teeth grazing and nipping at the sensitive skin right under his earlobe. He had to release a shaky breath before he hissed in pain, causing the silver head to come up to look at him, concern shining in his black eye. "What is it?" he breathed.

Iruka gulped so he could use his voice. "My hand. I, uh… clenched it too tight, I guess," he said sheepishly, feeling a little embarrassed that Kakashi could cause such a reaction with something so simple.

Kakashi fixed him with an odd look and cocked his head to the side. "Iruka, have you ever…" he trailed off, gesturing between them.

The unfinished question was most definitely understood and made the little teacher blush heavily. Mizuki and he had fooled around on more than one occasion, they had even had sex once, but none of it had felt like what Kakashi was doing to him. Kakashi made him feel like he had all of the sexy man's attention, unlike Mizuki where he simply took what he wanted from Iruka after a long night of training or a difficult mission.

Kakashi must have taken his silence as a 'no' because he suddenly rolled off of the smaller man and helped him off of the couch. Iruka had begun to ask what he was doing, but was effectively silenced by Kakashi's lips. While his mind was thoroughly reduced to nothingness again, the shorter male felt hands at his hips pressing him closer. He let out a small moan of appreciation at the feeling of their bodies molding together and gasped when Kakashi's hands were suddenly at the backs of his thighs, lifting him easily to his own height. Automatically, Iruka's ankles locked together over the businessman's behind and pressed them ever tighter together.

There was an answering growl from both males as their awakening groins were pressed against each other. Iruka could feel himself bouncing slightly as Kakashi carried him to his bedroom and kicked the door closed behind them. A distant thought had him wondering where his younger guest had disappeared to, but the next round of mind blowing kisses had every thought scattering from his mind as he was laid on his bed. There was a new sense of mutual urgency behind the kisses, making them become harder and deeper as Iruka opened his mouth in an invitation that was immediately taken. Kakashi mapped out every bit of Iruka's wet cavern and he loved every second of it. More than once, his breath hitched at the new and tantalizing sensations the older male was introducing him to. Lips were once more moved to his neck, nipping, kissing, and sucking. Then, a pair of hands had snuck their way up Iruka's borrowed night shirt and before he knew what was happening, Kakashi had hiked it up as far as it would go.

Arousal was quickly overridden by shock and mortification as Iruka tried to cover his marred flesh and hide it from Kakashi's view. This only led to the teacher's wrists being pinned above his head, rendering them useless. "Don't hide from me," Kakashi said.

He struggled futilely for a few moments and then finally gave up when Kakashi's strength once more proved to be much greater than his own. Iruka sighed in defeat and resigned himself to monitoring his companion's reaction to the swirling designs that matched the ones that had been shown earlier that night. The slightly marbled scars spanned all the way down the front of his chest and disappeared below his boxers and around his sides. Slashes and carved designed mixed on his flesh, leaving little empty space in between markings.

The businessman's face was unreadable, but his single, grey eye had a hard edge to it as he mentally catalogued every line that had been engraved into his skin. Iruka knew exactly what was going through his mind, so he was unsurprised to hear, "How did it happen?"

The tanned man sighed again. He really hated talking about his scars and would really just rather forget they ever existed, but Naruto had been right. Kakashi would have seen them eventually, which means, Iruka will eventually be telling him how they happened. Iruka would have rather not have had this conversation brought up in the middle of what they were currently doing, but the determined look on Kakashi's face told him he would not be convinced to drop the subject like Sasuke had been. Because his mind was still addled with lust, he did not have the courage to just jump into the story and ruin the already dimming mood. He tried the same words he spoke to Sasuke only hours before. "Trust me, it's not a story you want to hear…"

Kakashi must have heard the lack of conviction in the young teacher's voice because he pressed with his oh-so-hypnotizing voice, "Tell me."

Iruka let out a mirthless chuckle. "Who was it that said it was wrong to push the issue?"

Kakashi leveled him with an unreadable expression. "I'm different," he said.

"Oh, really?" Iruka tried to hide the automatic disdain he felt for the cliché line.

"Yes, really. Unlike Sasuke, I recognize these markings and have no choice but to wonder how you were able to survive." When Iruka could only manage to look shocked and hesitant, the silver haired man said, "I swear to you, it will never affect the way I think about you." Doubt swam in the little teacher's mind as he gazed at the man above. Kakashi bent down until their foreheads were touching, making sure he had Iruka's full attention. "Nor will it change how much I want you right at this very moment."

The husky tone made Iruka's body shudder and gave him an odd sense of peace and encouragement underneath the predominant arousal and confusion. He recognizes the marks? How is that possible? He thought about the situation and his curiosity for the mysterious man escalated along with his suspicion that had been hiding in some corner of his mind.

Finally, Iruka came to a decision. "Kakashi, if I start telling this story, I won't be able to stop. You're not going to like what you hear," he warned. The calm look Kakashi fixed him with convinced him that there was no way out of it now. "The first incident happened the night I lost my parents…" He had to swallow the sudden lump that had formed in his throat as it always did when he thought of that night. He looked away from Kakashi, unable to look at him as he delved deep inside himself for some form of dignity in which he could tell the man what had happened. He himself could not believe what he was about to reveal. Even an ex-assassin that had been trained to kill his emotions had his limits to what he could hide away. "Someone… someone had broken into our house. My parents had me hide inside one of the heating vents in my room. I was five at the time, so I was just barely able to fit. Th-there were screams coming from my parents in another part of the house, but they had told me to stay hidden, so I couldn't go to them. Not that my fear would have let me move anyway…" he was talking really fast, but he did not seem to be able to help it. As seconds passed, Iruka's breathing quickened and fine tremors made their way through Iruka's thin frame as he heard his parents' pain filled screams in his memories.

A calming hand ran through his dark locks and came to rest on the side of his face, soothing circles being traced with a slightly calloused thumb. Iruka leaned into the hand and covered it with his own before hesitatingly continuing. The horrors of his past were not something he liked to think about, let alone talk about. "When the screams finally stopped a long while later, I heard him go through the other rooms of the house, looking for me. It didn't take him long to find me and when he did… I don't remember exactly what he looked like because it was so dark in the house. The next thing I knew, he had taken his knife across my nose." His finger ran over the lingering mark from that night. It had all happened so fast for his young mind to comprehend; his memories were blurred from time and trauma. "The police came right about then and I'll never forget the words he said to me. 'I'm not finished with you yet.'"

Iruka had to swallow the bile rising in his throat. When it refused to go down, he fisted his hands in his sheets and tried to force himself to calm down. Mental reminders that it was all over with and that the beast was dead and never going to hurt him or his brother ever again seemed to have no affect on his rebelling body. The shaking grew more and more visible until Iruka could not take it anymore. He had to move. The tanned teacher gently pushed Kakashi aside and climbed out of the bed to begin pacing to relieve some of the anxious energy that surfaced with the memories. The other male seemed to understand his need and stayed silent, waiting patiently for him to calm himself.

It was quickly becoming apparent that Iruka was losing his resolve to finish telling his dark tale with every step and turn he took. He had to forget Kakashi was there, and just talk to himself like he had when recalling his past with Mizuki. _Easier said than done_, in Iruka's opinion. Before he could lose any more of his nerve, he whispered, "He found me again when I was twelve. Sarutobi-sensei had taken me, Naruto, and a couple of the older boys with him on a trip to the store. We passed by a candy shop on the way back to the orphanage, and Naruto wanted to stop and look around inside it. The six year old little tyke just walked in there without a word to anyone. By then, he and I had become practically inseparable, so I followed him to take him back to the group. When we stepped out of the store, we were both grabbed from behind and dragged down an alley before being shoved into the trunk of a car by a masked man. We fought tooth and nail to get away from the kidnapper, but it wasn't enough. A twelve and six year old was no match for who we were up against…"

Iruka had to stop once more; the vibration going through his mind and limbs was becoming overwhelming. It was too much at once. He had never relived this much of his past at one time before, not since the nightmares for the couple of years right after it all happened. The sudden feel of skin wrapping around his wrist had him opening eyes he had not known he had closed to look down at the pale fingers gently encircling his darker skin. An equally gentle tug had the little teacher burying his face into Kakashi's broad chest, taking an unexpected comfort from the other man's presence. With a shuddering breath, he forced himself to continue, knowing things would only get worse from there.

"When we had come to a stop, he knocked us out with chloroform. We woke up in a basement, all of our clothes were removed and our hands were tied with rope to pipes that went from floor to ceiling. We were too far away to be able to make any sort of contact with each other except with our eyes. The bastard had also taped our mouths shut. For days he would come down and toy with us, asking us questions that made no sense, putting food or water just out of our reach, or just touching and petting us, calling us his 'pets.'

"Then one day, he came down with a bag." Iruka began shaking again and his voice cracked oddly, throat going completely dry.

"Hold on," Kakashi whispered, releasing his hold on the smaller man. Iruka could not hold back the whimper that escaped his lips as the comfort and warmth of his arms around him was withdrawn. Part of him scowled at being so vulnerable, but another, stronger, part assured him that he was safe to be so with the businessman. "I'm not going far, Ru," he guaranteed, giving Iruka a small, soothing peck on the cheek.

The silver haired male left the room, leaving Iruka alone with his dark thoughts. What had felt like an eternity passed in the few moments Kakashi was gone. It almost felt magnified when he finally stepped back in the room, holding a glass of water. "I'd have searched for something more potent, but something tells me leaving you alone for long would be a bad idea," Kakashi said, an ironic half grin trying to lighten the appropriately gloomy mood.

Iruka replied with a nervous, almost hysterical, chuckle of his own and took the water gratefully. He only managed a couple of sips to wet his mouth before his stomach rejected even the idea of any more. It had the calming effect Kakashi was likely looking for, though. "I don't know if I can continue the story," he mumbled into the glass honestly. "It's too horrible to have lived through once already. But, at the same time, I feel like I need to finish it."

"No matter what, I'll be here," Kakashi responded gently.

Perhaps it was that honesty that spurred on Iruka's courage, because within the next moment, he found himself reaching for Kakashi's hand and sitting on the edge of the bed. Taking a deep breath, the story continued, "He set the bag down right in front of my pole, completely out of reach as usual. And then… he started setting it all out for me to see: knives, razors, broken pieces of glass, and a dozen other things that had sharp or pointed edges. 'Time to play,' he said. He ripped the tape from my mouth to hear my screams as he used all of those things to make these marks." As he spoke, Iruka stepped into the square of moonlight by his window and removed his shirt, turning to display every line and shape created by that madman so many years ago. The scarring spanned from Iruka's shoulders all the way down to his knees on his front and back, demented designs a psychotic serial killer had called 'art.' "He made sure to keep the wounds shallow enough that I would not pass out, and did them slow enough so I would have no choice but to scream. The worst part was, after every line… he would wait for the bleeding to stop, fill the wound with lighter fluid, and then set it on fire to seal it shut." His voice no longer sounded like his own, just a hollow echo as he recalled the searing pain of his flesh being lit aflame. Numb from reliving a memory, and tongue loosened from already talking, he kept going in that dull, disconnected tone. "He did this for what felt like an eternity, making sure Naruto was watching every moment of it. Whenever he tried to close his eyes or look away, he would be forced to look with promises that he would stop if he watched. Because Naruto was only six, he would believe him every time.

"As soon as he said his work was done, he held the end of a sharpened screw driver right over my heart," Iruka paused to point at the tiniest scar he had, right where the end of the object had pierced his skin. "That was when Naruto started thrashing around, trying to take the attention off of me. And it worked. 'Looks like the little one wants to have some fun.' I had fought and tried to loosen my bonds around my wrists in the beginning, but I never fought harder than when I saw him moving his bag over to Naruto. My brother didn't have those scars on his cheeks until that happened. The monster carved the whiskers into his face, calling him his 'little fox.' I kept pulling and pulling at the ropes, not even noticing when they actually loosened. By the time my hands actually came free, Naruto's cheeks were set on fire.

"I'm not really sure what happened next, but I remember pulling out that screwdriver that was meant to kill me out of that monster's back. Then, I was untying an unconscious Naruto and carrying him out of there as fast as I could. I probably reopened a few wounds, but at the time I didn't care. I just knew I had to get him out of there. When we got out of the house, I went door to door until an elderly woman answered and nearly had a heart attack from the sight of us. The cops were called and I told them everything. That was when I found out who had kidnapped us. He called himself 'Kyuubi' and was a national criminal, wanted for several murders and considered a serial killer. Apparently, he gave all of his victims the same treatment he did me."

Iruka's mind barely stopped him from continuing the story. After he had untied Naruto and gotten up the stairs, he had been stopped by a white-haired man named Kabuto. That was when Iruka had first heard the name, 'Orochimaru.' The man had said how interested 'Orochimaru-sama' would be to know his best student had been defeated by a couple of brats. He let them go with a promise to see Iruka again sometime soon. It had not been two days after the tanned boy had come home from the hospital when the white haired man appeared again and kidnapped him to see Orochimaru. The pale skinned man reminded him of a snake because of the purple markings around his eyes and slit pupils.

That was when he was offered to become an assassin or else he and his brother would be killed. Arrangements were made to retrieve the twelve year old boy during the night to be able to train him. Kabuto always praised his quick advancement among the other young assassins, but Iruka had always ignored him. There was no praise to be had in killing, and he was only doing it to keep Naruto safe. Orochimaru did keep to his word to reward his obedience, however. The orphanage received anonymous donations on a monthly basis that were used to fix the old house and pay the bills they had been falling behind in with every new boy that arrived. So, he had become an assassin to take the place of the one he had killed.

Iruka's thoughts were diverted from that train of thought as arms wrapped around him and gentle lips were pressed comfortingly to his temple. He had actually forgotten about the rest of the world in his reverie. "Your strength, even at such a young age, simply astounds me, Iruka. You truly are amazing," Kakashi murmured, hugging him closer.

"Strength…" Iruka whispered dreamily. "If I'd been stronger, these would never have happened, and my skin wouldn't be the mess that it is."

The arms around the tanned man disappeared from his back, and came to rest on his shoulders as Kakashi held him away so they could make eye contact. "Your scars are nothing to be ashamed of, Iruka. Remember that. They are the proof that you survived what so many before you could not. They are proof of how strong you _are_, not how weak you _were_, and don't you dare forget that." Kakashi added a little shake to emphasize his words. Then, Iruka's eyes widened against his will as the mysterious man slipped off the black wrap that hid his left eye, revealing a long scar that went from his silver hair line, through the center of a pale eyelid, and down to the middle of his cheek. "We all have our scars."

Iruka could not stop himself from reaching forward tentatively and cupping the side of Kakashi's face. He brushed his thumb down the length of the thin line, taking in the new information as quickly as his sluggish brain could handle. '_We all have our scars… they are proof of how strong you _are_… Your scars are nothing to be ashamed of…'_ This man, Iruka decided, was truly something else to be able to sit through such a dark tale and still look at him with such a warm gaze and talk to him so gently. When he had told Mizuki about his scars, he had sneered and laughed at his weakness. Kakashi was truly different than any person he ever knew.

Iruka had no idea what he was going to do until he leaned forward those few inches and closed the distance between the two men's lips. The kiss was nothing like the ones before, but still had that same gentleness. Kakashi allowed Iruka to lead the kiss, absorbing the understanding and gratefulness radiating off of the smaller man. As soon as Iruka felt confident enough that the other male would not spontaneously disappear into thin air, he deepened the kiss by pressing their bodies flush together and twining his hands into the silver strands. The pressure kicked up a notch as Kakashi took the reins, and Iruka was more than happy to oblige. Lips moved and danced together to a symphony of mutual attraction that had wrapped around them since they met.

Not even paying attention to what was going on around him, Iruka suddenly felt the edge of the bed on the backs of his legs and let himself fall backwards, pulling the pale man down with him. One look was exchanged between the two of them, and then they met halfway, lips and tongues clashing together with a new sense of urgency. Every place that had made Iruka's breath hitch before was thoroughly re-explored as his body was given the same treatment. There was a point where he lost track of whose hands were where, and then Iruka noticed that Kakashi was still fully clothed while he was only in his boxers.

He wanted to touch the pale skin that was hidden just behind that night shirt. Iruka growled into the kiss and tugged at the bottom of the offending piece of clothing. Kakashi seemed to get the message and broke the kiss to sit up on the backs of his heels to take off his shirt, baring inch after delicious inch of creamy skin and sculpted muscle. Had this been any other situation, Iruka would likely have been intimidated and jealous to compare the businessman's physique with his own, lean build. At that moment, however, the little teacher could only marvel at the sight before him. Superbly muscled chest and perfectly chiseled abs were grazed by tanned fingertips. Scars were scattered here and there to show the life of their owner. Where Iruka saw his own scars as blemishes and constant reminders of his dark past, Kakashi's seemed to amplify who he was and show off his godlike looks further, especially the scar over his eye.

Kakashi slowly reached his hands down to trace a few of the lines in Iruka's skin, finding a few that were sensitive and made him shiver. No one had ever touched him like this before. Every sensation was new, confusing, and wonderful. "Do they hurt?" Kakashi asked softly, touching an especially sensitive mark near his hip.

Iruka could only gasp lightly and shake his head. Words seemed to elude him as the teasing fingers made their way up his body, exploring everything to find the most pleasurable places for the smaller male. With the most playful glint in a single eye that Iruka had ever seen, Kakashi moved his long fingers to tease and tweak dusky nipples. The teacher had to slap a hand over his own mouth to keep the sounds from flying out of his mouth. He knew Naruto's room was basically soundproof, but Iruka had no idea where his other guest was or if he was even still in the house.

Kakashi was having none of that. He removed the tanned hand and claimed the once hidden lips with his own before whispering, "There's no need for that. They won't hear."

How Kakashi could possibly know that, Iruka did not care to figure out at that moment. He only cared about touching as much of that flawless skin as he could. Drawing his hands over finely sculpted shoulders, the little teacher pulled the businessman in for more heart stopping kisses. Noting the way Kakashi was holding himself above Iruka, the ex-assassin decided to wrap his legs around a pale waist and make the arms to either side of his head collapse to feel the full weight of the man above him. Doing that had both of their clothed members pressing against one another with blissful pressure.

Kakashi groaned in approval and ground their hips harder together, pulling pleasured gasps from the smaller male. Lips moved down to nip at a tanned neck and travel down to lave dark, pert buds, earning a moan in response. Kakashi's hand moved to play with the other nipple, making Iruka momentarily lose his composure and clench his fists in his sheets.

A pained curse fell from his lips as Iruka forced his hand to relax against the onslaught of sensations coursing through him. His salvation was brought with a pale hand fitting itself in his own and bringing it up to be kissed over the bandages covering his wound. Kakashi twined their fingers together and squeezed, silently showing him that it would not hurt his injury. Iruka did his own experimental squeeze and nodded in satisfaction.

A kiss was pressed to the corner of Iruka's mouth with the whisper of, "I'm going to make you relax now, Ruka."

He could only manage a confused look before Kakashi's hand touched his straining erection over the fabric of his boxers. How this was going to make Iruka relax was lost on him as his whole body tensed up in anticipation. Pleasure filled shudders wracked his lithe frame as the hand started rubbing in sensual motions, eliciting moans and whimpers to fall from kiss swollen lips. Suddenly, things were moving way too slowly for the little teacher, so he began moving his hips in time with Kakashi's hand, urging him to up the pace.

Kakashi chuckled into Iruka's neck and complied with the unspoken request, abruptly pulling down Iruka's boxers to mid thigh and grasping his manhood firmly. He attached his mouth to the other's to claim the delicious groan for his own. As the pale hand began to stroke him, Iruka stopped all thought and lost himself in the feeling of heat pooling and escalating in his lower belly. His pleasure was building embarrassingly quickly as the hand around him sped up and applied more pressure. Iruka was not going to last long at this rate, but he could not bring himself to make Kakashi stop his heavenly ministrations. Lips, tongue, and teeth made their way down Iruka's body to stop right above his leaking erection, making the tanned teacher freeze. Kakashi looked up and made eye contact with Iruka, making him gasp in utter shock and fascination.

Kakashi had opened his left eye, a crimson orb with strange markings surrounding the pupil. The look would be slightly demented on anyone else, but it looked somehow so _right_ on the silver haired man. The mismatched eyes held him in a trance as pale lips parted around the blushing head of Iruka's member. The gaze was broken as the tanned body bowed in an arch at the unfamiliar sensation. _No one_ had ever done this for him before, and it was even more mind blowing than anything Kakashi had made him experience so far.

When that sinful mouth began to bob up and down, Iruka could not contain the moans that escaped his constricted throat. His grip on Kakashi's hand tightened with the increasing pressure around him as the silver haired man sucked harder, bringing Iruka ever closer to completion. The heat in his abdomen built and built until something inside him finally broke and he came with a hoarse cry of total abandon. Kakashi gladly slurped up every bit of the white substance that pulsed out of him, releasing a groan of his own around the member in his mouth.

Still high on the euphoria of orgasm, Iruka lay in a puddle of boneless satisfaction, panting from the intense release. Belatedly, he realized that he had given no warning beforehand and nearly sat up to apologize when a pale hand on his chest stopped him. Heavy eyelids drooped further as Iruka searched for the mismatched gaze of his partner quizzically. A gentle kiss was pressed to his forehead with a one word command.

"Sleep," Kakashi murmured.

Iruka's body wasted no time in complying, curling up into his usual ball and humming contentedly when he felt a warm chest press against his back as he dropped off into the best night of sleep he had ever had.

. . . . . .

A/N: So, there's our first lime! (For those who don't know the citrus system, limes are anything leading up to sex and lemons are actual penetration.) This was honestly a lot harder to write than it should have been, and I hope I didn't disappoint too many of you!

Make sure you let me know what you thought in a review! Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Wow, I'm up to Chapter 7 already? Ah, well, hope you enjoy! So sorry for the lateness, guys! Holidays are not friendly to my writing time.

Disclaimer: I no own.

. . . . . .

Iruka dozed in the dopey bliss of in between sleeping and waking for a long while before the memory of the previous night came crashing down on him.

First came the red hot embarrassment of having done the… activities he had with a certain businessman. He had never experienced anything like the things he had the night before and just the mere memory had his face turning red. The most he had ever gotten from his ex was a few hurried hand jobs after Iruka had been the one to go down on him. The tanned man had always overlooked the sense of being used in favor of actually thinking he had a connection with the white haired male.

Then came the cold flush of mortification at having shown his scars to someone else. Iruka could actually feel the blood empty from his face and it left him almost gasping for breath. He had shown his scars to someone else. Someone who was practically still a stranger to him. Someone who was much stronger than him. Someone who saw them and _did not ridicule him. _

_Kakashi still wanted me after seeing everything… after knowing everything…_ Iruka mentally kicked himself and shook his head to clear his thoughts. _Now is not the time to think about trivial matters when there is a jealous psychopathic ex on the loose._

The little teacher sat up in his bed, noticing the conspicuous absence of his bedmate. Just as he was wondering where Kakashi was, the smell of food cooking wafted through Iruka's senses and it smelled _good._ Iruka decided to go investigate since his brother could barely make cup ramen in the microwave without setting something on fire. Throwing the covers from his body, Iruka got out of bed and instinctively looked down at his scarred flesh with a newfound interest.

'_They are proof of how strong you _are_, not how weak you _were_, and don't you dare forget that…'_

It was almost frightening how, after only a couple of dates, one man had been able to shake the very foundations of what Iruka had grown up believing about himself. With Kakashi around, the ex-assassin barely felt the same disgust over his own body as Mizuki had made him feel. This was most likely because of how reverently the silver haired man had treated the markings, as if they were something… good. _Yeah, _Iruka thought silently, _something good from something so terrible._ Although he could not fully understand it, he understood what Kakashi had been trying to tell him. His scars were nothing that needed to be hidden away and forgotten, they should be remembered as something he had overcome and as a result became stronger because of.

However, Iruka had another guest in the house and could not very well prance around in his undies! Chuckling a little to himself at his mental antics, the honey toned man tossed on a pair of sweats and his most comfortable short sleeved t-shirt. Now that his scars had been seen by both Kakashi and Sasuke, Iruka saw no reason to wear his long sleeved shirts. (He convinced himself that his newfound confidence was _not_ due to a certain sexy businessman doing unspeakable things to him in the disheveled bed behind him.)

The scent of food got stronger the closer Iruka got to the kitchen, making his mouth water. Naruto's only ability to cook lay solely in cup ramen (barely), so either Sasuke or Kakashi was making that delicious smelling breakfast. He vaguely took notice of the sound of running water as he passed the bathroom, assumed it was one of the boys taking their morning shower, and ducked into the entrance to his kitchen. What met him had Iruka stopping in his tracks.

"Who the hell are _you_?" he blurted unthinkingly. Iruka's skills must have really rusted if he could not control an outburst when there was a stranger in his home.

"Ah! Good morning, Umino-san!" the muscular stranger boomed. And muscular he was. It was made glaringly obvious by the way the obnoxiously tight, green jumpsuit that he was wearing hugged his entire body underneath an open vest with too many compartments to count. The sight was so ridiculous that Iruka was actually stunned into silence long enough for the strange man to continue. "You are looking well rested! Oh, the Glory of Youth has been bestowed upon you as you slept so safely and soundly!"

Iruka was officially at the point of getting ready to toss the guy out of his house, calculating the room he had to maneuver, the strength he could gauge from the muscle bulging under the fabric of the stranger's clothing, and the possibility of one of his guests walking in to see the spectacle and get in the way.

"Ohoho! Looking for a little morning sparring session, are we? Marvelous! Come! Let us be taken by the throes of invigorating battle and feel the Youth coursing through our veins!" The green-clad man took a fighting stance to mirror Iruka's instinctual crouch, the fire of anticipation gleaming in his eyes. The absolute absurdity of the man's behavior had Iruka factoring in the possibility of _lunatic_ being one of the other's traits in a fight. Those were usually tricky to handle as they tended to be unpredictable.

"That's enough, Gai," said a voice Iruka only just registered as Sasuke's from behind him. "He's not looking to spar and you know it."

"Too right you are, Pupil of my Eternal Rival!" the stranger replied cheerily, further putting Iruka on edge. "My apologies, Umino-san! My name is Maito Gai, head of security for my Eternally Youthful and Hip Rival, Hatake Kakashi!" Gai proclaimed, flourishing his words with a dorky looking thumbs up complete with a smile so bright, Iruka could swear he saw the sun glint off of it even though the sun was coming from the other direction.

At this point, Iruka simultaneously understood and became further lost as to what was going on. This guy, Gai, was the head of security Kakashi mentioned? This obnoxious, flamboyant, insanely cheery man the size of a professional body builder was in charge of keeping him and his family safe for the night? Because of the powerfully built physique the bizarre man showed off, he could see why Kakashi had chosen him as head of security, but his other quirks left things to be desired so far. Iruka truly wanted to turn around and grill Sasuke about all of this, but all he could seem to do was run skeptically twitching eyes over the green mass of muscle in front of him.

"Oi oi! What's with all the yelling this early in the morning?!" Naruto's loud complaint sounded from what Iruka assumed to be right next to Sasuke. "And what smells so—" he cut himself off as he pushed by his brother to get a better look and finally noticed Gai. "GYAH! It's Bushy Brow from the future!" his little brother exclaimed in simultaneous horror and fascination.

"'Bushy Brow'?" Iruka inquired, finally turning away from the strange man to look at his brother quizzically.

"Yeah! C'mon, Ru! This guy doesn't remind you of Lee at all?"

A light finally clicked on in Iruka's mind, making him turn to regard the green clad man once again to realize his brother was right. Gai really did resemble his equally over-exuberant student, Rock Lee. Scarily so. They had the same bowl-shaped haircut and had the same bushy eyebrows, as was the reason behind Lee's –arguably appropriate– nickname. Iruka would not have been surprised if the two were rela—

"Ah, you must be speaking of my favourite nephew, Rock Lee!" Gai exclaimed.

_Yup, not surprised,_ Iruka thought dryly to himself. He gradually let his hackles smooth down, now that he knew that he was dealing with a relative of one of his students. An overly paranoid part of his ex-assassin mind had him wondering if it was a cleverly laid trap orchestrated by Mizuki, so his defenses never totally lowered. At least until a certain silver haired businessman affirmed Sasuke's initial recognition. If the sexy, kind, protective man trusted the obnoxious person standing in his kitchen, maybe Iruka could too.

"Maa, careful Gai," intoned Kakashi from the kitchen doorway. "You'll burn the food at this rate."

"Never fear, my Rival! If I allow this food to burn, I shall repent by doing a thousand one armed pushups before noon!" With that said, Gai turned back to the stove which had an impressive array of different dishes in various stages of cooking. Funnily enough, none of it looked like it was from Iruka's fridge. A quick trip to the fridge to grab a bottle of orange juice proved the teacher correct. He would have to figure out who to repay for the meal later.

"Well, we might as well leave Gai-san to his work," Iruka said as he ushered his guests and his brother out the door. Years of training and a cautious personality had certain parts of Iruka's mind yelling at him for leaving a stranger alone to cook his food, but a hand on his shoulder had him glancing up at a single grey eye.

"I trust this man with my life, Iruka. There's no reason to worry." That knowing gaze Kakashi had fixed him with was so fascinating and reassuring, it reduced the suspicion to a small flicker of doubt. Even that was completely obliterated when the calm tone added, "I promise."

The way the businessman was able to read his mind was a little disconcerting, but even Naruto had commented on how revealing his general body language was on more than one occasion. It was something he had trained for years to get rid of, but apparently never fully succeeded in doing unless he was in the middle of a mission and lack of reaction was crucial.

The petite man nodded and made to walk out of the kitchen to feel an arm drop down to his waist as they walked the short way to the living room. Not willing to face his brother's roguish grin just yet, he picked up the pace and shrugged the arm off with a warm smile to soften the blow, and took his place next to the yawning blond on the couch. Iruka enjoyed the calm atmosphere before sighing and remembering their circumstances and what needed to be done about it. "We all need to talk about what we're going to do about Mizuki," he stated.

Straightforward and to the point had been a tactic that had proven extremely useful with his brother over the years. Naruto shifted uncomfortably beside him, Sasuke leaned forward to show he was listening, and all the while, Kakashi just looked on with perpetual mask of boredom from his spot next to Sasuke. Only the slightest glint in the grey eye betrayed his interest. "I think it was fairly obvious that I was his target, and since I doubt he's changed in the last few years, he's very likely to try again sometime soon if he's given the opportunity. The thing is, he knows about my compassion for people and will not hesitate to target one of you to get to me. Hell, he would even go after any one of my other students if he felt I was even remotely fond of them." Iruka paused to gather the rest of the thoughts that had run through his mind while he had paced this very room in the middle of the night. "We will all have to be extremely vigilant and I think it would be a good idea if the boys learned some self defense in case one of us is out of commission or not around for some reason."

"There would be no need for that in Sasuke's case. I've taught him a few things during his time with me," Kakashi said, the barest hint of pride in his tone. The ever stoic Uchiha merely nodded his acknowledgement.

"Naruto is actually a decent fighter," Sasuke offered. "He still needs to learn basic control and strategy, but even an idiot like him should take no time to learn." The backhanded compliment had Iruka's little brother beaming one second and then scowling as he registered what was actually said.

"The hell did you just say, _teme_?" the blond growled. Iruka watched as his brother's fists clenched in the fabric of his sleeping clothes and thought about stopping the impending fight, but decided to let things play out. It would help to know both the boys' potential in a brawl. All he had seen of their skills thus far was the two rolling around the school hallway. Naruto actually managed to impress the teacher when he added, "You're lucky Iruka-sensei would fail us, otherwise I'd happily kick your arse right now."

"Actually, Naruto, I think it might not be a bad idea. I kinda _did_ just say that you needed to learn how to defend yourself. How about we go to the backyard after breakfast and begin your training, eh kiddo?" Iruka asked. He had actually argued with Naruto when the blond was younger and had wanted to learn how to fight. The ex-assassin had been afraid that his profession would be made obvious at the time if he agreed. Now, that seemed completely ludicrous and downright idiotic.

His brother nodded in agreement to the suggestion of potential violence before his brain caught up with the pet name. "Don't call me 'kiddo'…" Naruto grumbled, a blush creeping over his whiskered cheeks. Had Iruka not been trained to notice every detail of body language since he was twelve, he would have missed the surreptitious glance the blond cast at the raven haired teen across from them through his bangs. _Interesting…_

They were all saved from the awkward silence that always seemed to be waiting for when they talked like this. Gai somersaulted into the room with a boom of, "Dynamic Entry!" to tell them that breakfast was served. Odd enough though it was, it was made even weirder when the air around the man seemed to sparkle. The teens left to get their food, completely oblivious, followed by the exuberant bodyguard exclaiming that if they did not like the food, he would run laps to Tokyo and back until sundown as recompense. He really was a bizarre individual.

Iruka's thoughts must have been showing on his face again as he felt an increasingly familiar hand squeezing his shoulder in comfort before dropping to rest comfortably on his hip. "You get used to it after a while," Kakashi murmured in his ear. The sensation of breath brushing his sensitive skin sent shivers down Iruka's spine that he barely managed to suppress. It had memories of the previous night surfacing in his mind, causing him to flush with that damnable blush that he could never control around Kakashi. The damnable blush that said man found to be quite entertaining and attractive on the honey toned teacher. The bloody man actually had the nerve to continue with a sexy purr, "I look forward to sparring with you again, Iruka-_sensei_."

Oh, the tremors that skittered through the ex-assassin's body were too much for even his highly trained muscles to fully suppress. That beautiful voice was going to be the end of the smaller man. This, of course, had Iruka wondering just how many _other_ people Kakashi had used that voice with and what it meant for the two men. Was Iruka just another lay? Then, why would Kakashi have been so willing to fight against Mizuki? And, if he remembered correctly, Iruka had been the only recipient of anything last night. Who would do those things for a mere one-night stand?

He never got the chance to voice any of his inner turmoil. The hand at his hip became an arm around his waist that led him through his kitchen and into the backyard. The vast array of dishes spread on his outdoor table had the little teacher's eyes widening and stomach growling. Momentarily deciding to shove his doubts into a small corner of his mind, Iruka took one look at how everyone was enjoying the food. Nothing seemed to be poisoned as even Gai and Kakashi dug in, so Iruka took a tentative bite of food that Naruto had already piled onto a plate for him, muttering, "Ittadakimasu!"

What seemed like one bite later had actually been about five. The food was absolutely amazing! Even on his best day Iruka could not match the flavors that tantalized his tongue with every bite. Naruto appeared to agree with him as he started his second helping. Or maybe it was his third… Iruka could never tell with the bottomless pit that was his brother's stomach and how fast the food got shoveled into it. Even on a bad day the blond could stomach no less than twelve bowls of Ichiraku's ramen, for crying out loud!

As usual, Naruto was the last one to finish his food, and once they were all done basking in the afterglow of foodgasm, there was the buzz of excitement dancing between them. Seemed like impending violence always had that effect on people, no matter who they were. Even the ice prince of an Uchiha could not hide the glint of impatience to spar with the blond, as Naruto mirrored the enthusiasm more openly. Iruka could not stop the good natured smirk that crossed his features as he stood from his place at the outdoor table.

"All right," he began, gesturing to the two eager teens. "First, I want to go over the very basics so nobody gets hurt. I know it seems boring," Iruka effectively talked over his brother's whine of protest at doing something so remedial. "But trust me; the basics can go a long, long way." He led them over to a more open part of the fenced in area away from the house, thankful that none of their nosey neighbors would be likely to peek in on the spectacle.

As the little teacher went about coaching the teens on how to properly form a fist, bodyguard and superior watched intently as Gai gave his report. "You were right," he said in a low, serious tone. Very few people have ever really been able to witness when the martial artist was not being overly flamboyant and sparkly, and Kakashi had been one such person since the first time they were on the battlefield together during one of countless wars with small countries that no one even knew about. Kakashi would trust this man with his life, just as Gai would trust Kakashi with his. "He targeted the boy's room, not Iruka-san's. Quite a sneaky fellow that one, though he would not be a match for either of us. He did manage to escape after giving me a few new bruises, but it will not happen a second time."

"I want someone trailing the brothers at all times when I'm not with them," Kakashi ordered, his bored tone not changing an iota. He knew his friend did not miss the minute hardening of his gaze, though, and that his orders would not be taken as lightly as his tone suggested. If Kakashi were to guess correctly, and he always did, Gai would likely go even further and put two of their best men to the task of protecting them; one for Iruka and one for Naruto. Gai knew something was going on between him and Iruka, and he knew exactly what had been going through his friend's mind regarding the animated blond.

Finding Naruto had been the most amazing stroke of luck the elite ex-soldier had ever had and he was not about to lose him again. Kakashi had sworn as soon as he heard of his sensei's massacred family that he would find the son he knew to be alive and protect him with his very life if necessary. Kakashi had known the baby to be alive because he was the one to take the bundled infant to the hospital for his check-up while Kushina and Minato-sensei had been in a meeting with some foreign dignitaries. The mission was also given to him as a security detail, one he took every precaution with by making sure every nurse and doctor that would be handling the infant was cleared and qualified to do so before heading off to tend to his other duties.

Upon hearing about his sensei's body being found with his wife's a day later, the young soldier had rushed to the scene to find the brutally murdered corpses being loaded into the coroner's van, demented markings showing down a pale arm that had fallen over the side of the gurney. After that, he had gone straight to the hospital to check on his charge only to find that he had already been taken by a social worker to be released into the foster care system. The blond baby was gone and would be nearly impossible to find. A few hours of fruitless threats and bribes later had the young man switching his search from finding his sensei's legacy to finding who had made said legacy an orphan.

Now, eighteen years later, Kakashi finds out that his self imposed mission of finding his mentor's murderer was already taken care of over a decade ago. To top it all off, he would now be able to keep to his oath to protect the blond. It was a good day and only made better with the figure that was Umino Iruka, possibly the most fascinating man Kakashi had ever had the pleasure of meeting (albeit under less than desirable circumstances that the brunette did not remember), teaching the teens how to fight and moving with sinuous grace. A grace that he himself knew could be deadly.

After about the fourth time of watching Sasuke and Naruto end up on the ground without much form to their punches at all, mostly because of the blond's sheer willpower to win no matter what, Iruka finally sighed in resignation and shook his head. Spurred on by his earlier words to the little teacher, Kakashi smoothly made his way to the makeshift training ground and stopped next to his ex-assassin. "Maa, Sasuke, I thought I taught you to always stay on your feet," he commented offhandedly.

The teens stopped their scrabbling and got up from their place on the ground, covered in fresh grass stains. All Kakashi got from the raven haired boy was a glare of annoyance. The one eyed businessman simply turned his eye up in its unique arch with a teasing grin that had Iruka's stomach doing somersaults. Why did the man have to be so damn sexy so effortlessly?

"How about we show them how it's done, Iruka-_sensei_?" Kakashi continued in a tone that bordered on a leer. It had the little teacher flushing slightly over his scarred nose despite the order he gave his body to keep the blood from his face.

Remembering the light spar they had had the night before had the sensei's pride demanding a rematch. With a mischievous glint in his eye, Iruka responded, "You're on."

Barely had the boys gotten out of the way before Iruka was on the offensive. He was not about to let Kakashi have the advantage again. A swipe to the head was easily ducked under, but the foot coming up at the same time had to be blocked. The little teacher had learned his lesson from last night and would not be holding back. Iruka would be giving his all to beat his opponent. With some opponents though, advantages and underestimations mean next to nothing as Iruka learned when his ankle was grabbed and yanked to make him lost his balance.

It was a rookie mistake to leave any part of his anatomy within grabbing range for too long. He must not have factored in Kakashi's near inhuman speed during the attack. Actually, he knew he did, but Iruka had a little inkling that perhaps the silverette had predicted the move. After all, they were both formidable fighters that had fought before and have cleverness on par with one another. Quickly correcting his mistake, Iruka dropped down to pivot on his uninjured hand to kick Kakashi with his other leg. His captured ankle was released in favor of blocking his other, giving the brunette the freedom to twist away at the last moment without actually connecting his kick.

A sound of astonishment came from their left, but Iruka was not about to let himself be distracted. He was still on the offensive and would win damn it! Lurching to the left, the ex-assassin spun in a roundhouse kick followed by rapid punches that were dodged with infuriating ease. Another mistake was finally made and Iruka found himself on his back before he could figure out what that mistake was. The hand flying in his direction to pin him had him rolling instinctively out of the way only to be caught up in his brother's legs before he could get out of the way.

The teen scrambled back quickly, calling out a warning just as Iruka's senses screamed that Kakashi was at his back and closing in quickly. Waiting for just the right moment and trusting his fast reflexes, Iruka suddenly whipped around with a speed he had not used for some years and grabbed one of the ankles that were trying to knock him off his feet. In a move as natural as breathing, Iruka used his opponent's momentum against him to pull him off balance. Then, he used a move specifically taught to the children Orochimaru trained. Iruka went down onto his knee and swung for the back of Kakashi's pivoting knee, making him collapse with a surprised grunt. With lightning fast movements, Iruka straddled the businessman to pin him with his entire body; one hand to his chest and one to his throat in a parody of Kakashi's own victorious position the previous night.

The two men froze, just looking each other in the eye for a moment, stunned. Through his mask of amusement that slid over the silver haired man's features, the little teacher could see that Kakashi was actually impressed. To be honest with himself, Iruka was just as astonished that he had managed to get so lost in the fight and still had the control to not kill his guest. He had been in the mindset of a mission, and his mission had been to beat Kakashi at all costs. Without giving it much thought, his grip on Kakashi's throat loosened and became a caress as his body registered how close their faces were.

Iruka was just about to close those last few irresistible inches to those sinful lips, when a throat was cleared next to them. Spell broken, the brunette's head shot up to see his brother standing with Sasuke. The sun was right behind them, making them look almost surreal in their identical poses with their arms crossed over their chests, small grins on their faces. When Iruka's brain finally caught up with the events, he glanced down at the rather inappropriate position Kakashi and he was in. Blush roiled under his skin as he scrambled to get off of his guest. Kakashi was on his feet before Iruka could extend a helping hand.

Iruka chuckled a little sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head. "So," he said, "did you guys learn anything from that at all?"

"Plenty," said the ever stoic Uchiha. The knowing gaze the teen leveled at him made Iruka's hackles rise in alarm.

"Yeah, that was so freaking awesome!" Naruto gushed, causing the two to break eye contact. The blond gazed up at his brother with hopeful eyes, hands clasped together in front of him. "C'mon, ya gotta teach us that move! Pleeease, Ruka-nii?"

The comical expression on his little brother's face was priceless. Iruka laughed before saying, "Sure, I'll teach you that move… sooner or later. First, you need to learn how to stay on your feet, like Kakashi said." He did not bother hiding his mischievous smirk as he bent to his idiot's eye level, which was a depressingly short distance from his own as the teen was getting taller and taller, with his hands on his hips. "And then you'll have to beat _me_ before I'll teach it to you!"

The totally crestfallen look on Naruto's features only made Iruka laugh more. It was the face that they always made when they were play fighting and it felt good to see it after the strange things that had been happening over the weekend. The picture of Naruto's panic as Mizuki stood behind him with a knife that had been imprinted behind the brunette's eyelids was almost washed away as Naruto began laughing with him. His brother's laugh was a soul cleansing one and one Iruka was grateful for.

They spent the rest of the day training. Iruka and Kakashi would demonstrate every once in a while until the boys, namely Naruto, could do basic moves without resorting to rolling on the ground for dominance. They only took a break for lunch after Iruka had to kick his brother's butt back into the house before he overworked himself and dropped from exhaustion. The ex-assassin was trying not to notice the familiar fighting style Sasuke used. From the way the raven haired teen fought, Iruka could have sworn they had trained together with Orochimaru.

Iruka tried to come up with a connection. The youngest he ever saw at the warehouse during his entire time there had been only a year younger than Mizuki and him. Unless Sasuke trained with the snake after Iruka had left, but that would have been impossible. The brunette had killed Orochimaru with his own hands when Sasuke would have only been nine years old. At that time, Sasuke would have still been living with his parents… who had been murdered by Orochimaru's men.

Something did not add up, and Iruka would have bet his life it had something to do with Mizuki's mention of the snake obsessed creep. Orochimaru could not have survived what Iruka had done to him; he had made sure of that. So, what could he be missing?

The teacher's inner musings were interrupted by a pained grunt out in the yard. He went to go investigate and found that Naruto and Sasuke had gone back outside to spar more when Iruka was not looking. A glance back at their bowls revealed them to be empty, so there was no reason for Iruka to call the boys from their training.

"They're pretty good for a couple of kids," Kakashi suddenly said from behind him. The tiniest jump was barely noticeable in the smaller man's shoulders, but it went ignored by both men in favour of watching their charges try to outmaneuver one another. "Especially Naruto. He's learning exceptionally quickly for his age."

Kakashi was hitting a little close to home considering Iruka had learned all of these moves when he was only twelve years old and became the best within a few months. Since Kakashi could not possibly know that, he just shrugged and replied, "My brother's always been a fast learner. It's just a matter of finding something that interests him. It just so happens that violence interests everyone his age. Sasuke's doing pretty well himself." Iruka thought for a moment, watched said teen pin his brother for the umpteenth time, and then strode out onto the grass to the still grappling teens. "All right, let's see what you've learned today, shall we? Sasuke, would you mind going first?"

The black eyed teen squared him with a level gaze, one that Iruka held easily. He was determined to find out if they had really had similar training and the only way to find out short of asking the boy, and he seriously doubted that would work, would be to fight him himself. Naruto made a whiny protest, but was easily silenced by a look from his older brother.

Right as the young Uchiha's eyes flickered to the blond instinctively when he moved, Iruka advanced with a quick body shot. Sasuke blocked the oncoming fist with reflexes fast enough to rival his own; a feat in and of itself, but not the proof Iruka was looking for. The tanned man kept advancing, keeping his kicks and punches below the neck as he had instructed the boys to do with practice sessions, though none of his shots connected more than a glance off of the younger male's forearms as he blocked and dodged effortlessly. The way the raven haired teen moved looked to be a mixture of how Kakashi and Iruka fought each other. _Kakashi must have told the truth about teaching him a few things._

Then, Sasuke found an opening to attack, making Iruka switch to defense instantly. He dodged and blocked, barely managing to keep up with the Uchiha's almost feline speed and grace. A feint to the right had Iruka blocking the diversion right as he saw the kick land on his upper thigh. The scarred man grunted from the impact; Sasuke had a considerable amount of strength behind his kicks. They continued like this for a few minutes, Naruto's astonished exclamations going ignored and Kakashi's assessing gaze unnoticed. Finally, Iruka saw an opening for his final test and he took it.

A sweeping kick to knock Sasuke's legs out from under him made the boy dodge and, much to Iruka's grim satisfaction, had Sasuke taking advantage of the split second of vulnerability the move presented. It was the kind of reflex beaten into Orochimaru's subordinates until it became an instinct as easy as breathing, because of how precise the timing needed to be. Technically, it was meant to be a crippling counterattack to an opponent's back while he was still crouched from the kick, but the glint in Sasuke's eyes revealed that he knew he had made a mistake even as he tried to pull back.

Whether he thought the mistake was in going for a move that could cripple his teacher or using one specific to the teachings of a certain white-skinned monster in human form, they would never find out. Iruka had made Sasuke use the move on purpose, so he knew exactly how to maneuver to avoid what would have been a perfect deliverance of a critical blow to the base of the spine. He ended up behind the teen, one arm hooked around Sasuke's chest with the other grasping at the hold Iruka had on his jaw, forcing him to expose his throat to demonstrate his victory. They both knew Sasuke could have been killed multiple ways from this position.

Iruka released Sasuke slowly, processing his newly acquired information. There was some heavy evidence that they had gone through the same training, though it did not make any sense to the scarred teacher. Deciding to investigate his findings at a more appropriate time and setting, Iruka simply told Sasuke that he did a good job and gestured for Naruto to take his place to fight his brother.

The fight between Naruto and Iruka was fairly short. The blond had no sense of aim or timing and got caught easily in a head lock. Well, it was more of a very predictable move that Iruka saw through immediately, but still. Since this was how their usual rough housing went, Naruto growled in annoyance, thinking Iruka was not taking things seriously. He sent an angry elbow into Iruka's ribs and wriggled out of the hold. Naruto saw the grimace on the brunette's face, but learned his lesson a long time ago on which pained expressions were real and which ones were traps, no matter how hard Iruka tried to fool him.

A flurry of punches whipped through the air, surprising Iruka with their speed and ferocity. Naruto was progressing much faster than Iruka had estimated. Then again, what else could he have expected of the competitive blond? After having watched the spar he'd gone through with Sasuke, Naruto was likely itching to prove he was as good, or even better than, the raven haired teen. A lucky shot made it through the teacher's defenses, causing the breath to be driven from his lungs and gave Naruto the opening he needed to knock Iruka off of his feet and pin him to the grass.

Both brothers froze, completely stunned. After Iruka had just beaten Kakashi _and _Sasuke, did he really just lose to Naruto? Neither could believe it, though surprise quickly made way for pride on both of their faces; Naruto for having won and Iruka because of his brother's swift development. He was by no means comfortable with letting him out of his sight until Mizuki was dealt with once and for all, but he felt a little better knowing the kid would not be killed in a matter of seconds.

Things were looking up after all…

. . . . . .

Mizuki watched the entertaining spectacle from his binoculars with a feral smirk. They honestly thought a few moves would stand a chance against him? Very soon they would learn that all of their practicing would have been for nothing…

_The white haired man followed behind one of the many lackeys Orochimaru had at his disposal through the maze that was the snake's new hide-out. When they stopped in front of a door, Mizuki shouldered past the weak moron and went in to receive his orders. He had been called back for a reason, after all. Orochimaru sat in his usual throne-like chair, all arrogance and intelligent eyes._

Snake eyes…_ Mizuki thought, not for the first time._

"_Ahh, Mizuki-kun. I've been expecting you." Orochimaru's voice always sounded like something between a whisper and a hiss. _Also just like a snake,_ his mind supplied helpfully. "In your report, you said the demon-child was with him, correct?" He paused, allowing Mizuki to answer with a mute nod. "Excellent… he would make a fine addition to our collection, don't you think?"_

_Mizuki did not bother answering. They both knew of his opinion of that demon brat. _Just brothers my ass…

"_I want both of them brought here, as soon as the opportunity presents itself."_

_Nodding curtly to show his orders were understood, Mizuki turned and strode back to the door. Before he could totally leave the room, Orochimaru continued, "Alive, Mizuki-kun. I want to see their potential before I do the experiments."_

_Throwing the snake another nod, Mizuki headed out to complete his mission. He had never failed a mission in all his years of working for Orochimaru, and he was not about to fail this one. Especially if it meant he could get rough with a certain blond… He would still need a team to help with the other target. As long as it meant hurting Iruka, Mizuki was not going to complain…_

Mizuki's grin grew as he watched the demon take down Iruka. Oh, he was going to have so much fun beating that kid into the ground for that. Just as soon as they had an opening, Mizuki and his team would strike.

. . . . . .

A/N: So… none of that went the way I thought it would. Honestly, I thought this was going to be a semi-fluffy chapter with some smut on the end… I hope y'all aren't too disappointed in me .;

Anyways, I'll catch ya in the next chapter! Leave me a review and let me know what you thought!


	8. Chapter 8 (preview)

A/N: Okay guys, I know it has been forever since I've updated and I'm here to tell you that I have not abandoned this story. Life just kicked me down and continued kicking for a while. That's all over and done with though, so don't worry! Chapter 8 is almost done and I'll be posting it after I proofread it and all that stuffy stuffs. I'll even give you guys a sneak peek to prove that I'm working on it!

. . . . . .

Sasuke woke up warm and comfortable, despite having spent the night on an air mattress. He let out a sleepily content sigh and snuggled back into the heat behind him, causing the body pressed up to him to respond in kind.

_Wait a minute…_

Onyx eyes snapped open in full alertness and surveyed their frozen owner's current predicament, only half believing what they saw. Sasuke's pale hand contrasted ascetically against the sun-kissed wrist it was loosely gripping against his chest. The steady swell and fall of pressure he felt on his back, coupled with the slight brush of air against the nape of his neck, told him there was indeed someone behind him. Slowly, he lifted the arm draped across him and slipped out of the bed, careful not to disturb the person he had unknowingly shared it with.

Sasuke had been standing at the edge of the air mattress trying to understand the situation for a good while before finally coming to grips with it.

He had just been cuddling with Naruto. _And he liked it._

_. . . . . ._

__A/N: There we go! I know it's not much, but I don't wanna give away too much for those of you still interested in the story. For those who would want a bit more, I can just tell you that Iruka and Sasuke finally get to talk in Chapter 8! Anywho, I'm gonna go finish up this chappie so y'all can enjoy it all the sooner! Should be a couple days, a week at most since I'm on vacation.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: All right, I know I've already apologized in the preview for the lateness, but I'm gonna do it again anyways. I AM SO SORRY THIS IS LATE! As I said, life was not very kind there for a while.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review! Even if it's to reprimand me for the late update, I'll be happy with whatever I get!

Warnings: LEMON! (I swear it's not just 'cause I wanted to make up for my absence…)

. . . . . .

The sparring lessons took up the rest of the day. Naruto's smugness from beating his brother was very short lived as he had yet to win against anyone else afterwards. The teens duked it out for hours, only getting instruction every so often when the blond demanded to know where he had gone wrong after getting pinned to the ground for the nth time.

Before any of them knew it, the sun had set and Gai was calling everyone inside for dinner. It was just as delicious as their breakfast, if a little more crowded from trying to fit five people at a table that usually only sat two. At some point, Iruka got up some nerve to talk to the extremely muscled man and asked for some recipes.

It was then Iruka found out that Kakashi had given his bodyguard the money for food. The blasted businessman had refused when he offered –or rather, insisted– to repay him.

"You're my guest!" Iruka argued. "You shouldn't be paying for and cooking all of the food!"

"And what kinds of guests need to stay for the safety of all involved?" Kakashi countered in an amused tone. "Really, Iruka, all we're doing is repaying_ you_ for protecting us."

_As if you actually need protection,_ Iruka commented silently. He tried to continue glaring the man into submission, but that damn sexy smirk was making it hard for the little brunette to keep arguing.

A shouted curse interrupted the two males, making them both glance over to the doorway to the living room. After dinner, Naruto had suggested that he and Sasuke play video games and learn some 'awesome new moves' from the characters. It had shocked even Iruka to find out that the other boy had never played video games before, but judging by the sounds of dismay coming from his brother, the raven haired teen was a very quick learner.

Iruka glanced back over at his companion and sighed resignedly. It was not looking like Kakashi was going to give in any time soon.

He had said last night that it would be safer for Kakashi and Sasuke to stay where he could protect them, but that was before he had seen their fighting skills first-hand. In Iruka's professional opinion, the two could protect themselves against Mizuki just fine without his help. By all sides of logic, they should be more than safe enough to go back to their own home.

Unfortunately, there was the enigma that was Uchiha Sasuke and how he fought as if he were trained by the same monster that Iruka was… the same monster that Iruka was certain he had killed. It perplexed the teacher in numerous ways that made him want to keep a closer eye on the teen. He was going to have to figure out a way to talk to Sasuke about all of that at some point and find out if the boy's guardian knew about anything Iruka was suspicious of. The older male had seemed to recognize Orochimaru's name well enough to keep Sasuke from saying it…

Either way, it looked like his guests would be with him for an undetermined amount of time. While Iruka was fine with letting the two males stay with him, the other half of his mind was a little apprehensive about suddenly living with his… boyfriend…?

Which only made things even more confusing for the scarred sensei. Based on Iruka's observations of people in general, Kakashi should have high tailed it out of town the moment Mizuki had attacked him. Instead, he had stayed to fight with him. Even after seeing Iruka's scars and hearing to the story behind them, Kakashi had chosen to stay. That part confused the brunette more than anything.

Iruka was brought back from his thoughts suddenly when he felt a warm, pale hand slide over his own on the table. "You alright?" Kakashi asked gently. "I can hear the gears grinding from over here. What's on your mind?"

"Just…" Iruka let out a sharp breath, scratching the back of his head absently with his free hand. "I don't get you."

Kakashi offered a small grin, saying, "That's the whole point of dating, isn't it?"

"That's one of the things I don't get," he admitted. "You're still here, even after what happened with Mizuki. Hell, even after you saw all of me, you still…" Iruka trailed off as images from the previous night assaulted his senses and turned his face beet red, even as lower parts of his anatomy tingled with remembrance.

Kakashi chuckled at the little teacher's embarrassment and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "To tell the truth, if you were anyone else, I probably wouldn't be here right now," he said, only confusing Iruka further.

_What makes me so special? Because I made him spill coffee all over himself?_

Iruka's thoughts must have shown on his face again as Kakashi looked him in the eyes almost sternly. "Iruka, I'm a man who doesn't take interest very often. I can read people quickly and get bored just as easily. But you… I haven't been able to 'get' you either. Not yet, anyway."

Iruka scoffed, "So, you're saying I have to keep you guessing, or you'll disappear on me?" He had meant it as a joke, but secretly was afraid of that very same thing.

The silver haired man huffed under his breath in exasperation and looked at him seriously, making Iruka shift slightly from the intensity. "I'm _saying_ that I _like_ you, Umino Iruka, and everything about you. It might not be easy to pique my curiosity, but once you have it I very, _very_ rarely let go."

The brunette gulped audibly when the pure honesty registered in his mind. Kakashi was not kidding, and that scared some part of Iruka. The only person to have _liked_ him had been violent and possessive. Iruka had to admit that from the mind blowing bedroom activity to the equally amazing sparring matches, Kakashi would have been his preferred partner, had they known each other back then. Thinking of that did not make him understand things any better, surprisingly.

Suddenly, Kakashi was there, mere inches from his own face, his one visible brow drawn in concern, confusion, and just a little bit of frustration. That single, slate grey eye searched his face for something, and what he found had him sighing at the little sensei again. "Why can't you just comprehend that one simple fact?" he asked, gaze boring into Iruka's with a sincere need to make him understand. "If someone tries to kill you, you can _get_ that just fine. Then, someone tries to show that they actually care for you and you get all confounded…"

Iruka laughed a little. "Can you really blame me? Look at who my ex is. _That_is the only person I have ever been romantically involved with."

He gestured vaguely at the next room where Naruto let out another frustrated growl. "The other years of my life were spent trying to just survive long enough to make it through college, and find a home for my brother and me to live in. I haven't exactly had time to think about much else."

Kakashi seemed to consider this for a moment, his eye never once wavering from Iruka's. "I guess we'll have to change that, then."

All of the muscle control training in a thousand lifetimes would not have been able to stop the involuntary jolt that went through Iruka's body every time that damned sexy man kissed him. No matter how many times it happened, he would never get used to the impossible softness as Kakashi pressed their lips together. Even as he sighed and parted his lips in invitation, all of Iruka's thought processes stopped as a slick tongue unhesitatingly took his offer. Just the feel of Kakashi's tongue sliding against his and mapping the inside of his mouth was enough to make Iruka shudder in delight.

A gentle hand touched the side of his face in an almost reverent manner, trying to convey the genuine feelings Kakashi had for him and soothe his doubts. For a moment, it seemed to be working… and then someone cleared their throat loudly from behind the pair.

"I was gonna ask if Sasuke was gonna bunk with me again," said a familiar, rakish voice. Iruka's blush deepened as he turned to face his brother. Naruto was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and his signature grin plastered across his face. "But, I guess I just walked in on the answer."

Before the flustered sensei could even stammer a reply, the blond winked and disappeared to the living room again. Sounds from the game started back up as it was un-paused; grunts and jeering were heard as if nothing had happened.

"That could have gone worse, I suppose," Kakashi commented calmly.

Iruka's attention snapped back to the silver haired man. "'Could have gone worse'?!" he exclaimed. The brunette could not imagine anything more mortifying than what had just happened. Now, his brother was likely to assume that the boys would be sharing Naruto's room just so he and Kakashi could be alone… and it would be only natural for the blond pervert to expect the two adults to _do things_…

_Wait, am I really getting worked up over this?_ Iruka asked himself as his mind rambled nervously.

"Iruka," said Kakashi, squeezing the brunette's shoulders lightly. "Calm down. You're over thinking things."

He knew his guest was right, but what exactly was he really nervous about? Naruto always teased him as he just did, so what made this any different? _Because it's actually very possible for it to happen,_ some part of Iruka's mind supplied unhelpfully. Though, there was some truth that rang to it. Images and memories of every time the two had been alone reminded him that he had not been expecting any of it before, and now it only seemed different because he wanted more and knew Kakashi would only be too happy to oblige. It seemed different because he actually had time to worry about screwing it up somehow.

Iruka's thoughts were once more cut off by a pair of lips on his, pressing a little more firmly than before to make sure they had all of his attention. As soon as he was successfully distracted, Kakashi seemed to make it his mission to turn him into a big puddle of goo right there in the kitchen. Iruka had eagerly opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, but the other male pulled back just enough to only brush against his lips with the barest of pressure, merely teasing with his tongue and nibbling softly. It was driving the little teacher out of his mind, but in the best way possible.

"You really do worry too much," Kakashi said against his lips. "From what I have gathered about your brother, that's about as close to a blessing as we're going to get. It also means that he's getting along with Sasuke much better, if he's not throwing a fit about sleeping in the same room with him again. It's a win-win situation all around."

Kakashi was right and Iruka knew it. He just could not shake the last of the nervous butterflies from his stomach.

_Oh, stop being such a school girl and grow a pair!_ Iruka mentally yelled at himself.

The nervous atmosphere was almost immediately broken and replaced with another full of awkward embarrassment as Gai's voice suddenly boomed from the backdoor. "Ah, that is so like my Eternal Rival to soothe his partner! May the Glory of Youth shine upon your coupling!"

Iruka could swear he felt his eyebrow tic at the boisterous announcement, however, he could find nothing other than the usual boredom on Kakashi's face. The man must truly be used to the bodyguard's antics to not react at all like that. Instead, the businessman replied dryly, "Thanks. Now, how about you get on with proving yourself worthy of being called head of security? I'm sure the perimeter could use another sweep before you take to your post for the night."

The sparkly man simply saluted with a loud agreement and flounced off, with another sparkly grin and a thumbs-up, closing the door behind him. Iruka could not help but shake his head slightly in exasperation. He opened his mouth to comment on something, but his jaw just kept widening into a yawn instead. A glance over at the clock said it was getting to be rather late. As if right on cue, the violent sounds from whatever game the boys had been playing stopped and there was a clattering of plastic as the controllers were put away.

Not even a few seconds later, both teens strode past the kitchen, Naruto yawning widely with arms stretched behind his head. Iruka took a few minutes of wondering what they were doing when he failed to hear a door close. Then, there was a loud thump from the other side of the house and a loud curse of pain from his brother. Elder sibling instincts kicked in and Iruka was in the hallway in a split second to check on the reckless blond.

The door to the teacher's bedroom was open with Naruto leaning against the wall, rubbing the back of his head with a slight scowl. "You didn't have to push that hard, _teme_!" he all but yelled into the open doorway.

Iruka checked on his brother, decided he was all right, and took in the scene before him. He was not shocked at what he found. Sasuke, looking completely unapologetic, was just inside his room with the air mattress on its side, ready to be moved to another room. Even if the two boys had found some sort of truce that was not purely to keep from failing in school, it would only seem logical that they would still prefer to sleep in separate beds.

"Do you boys need some help?" Iruka could not help needling his brother now that he knew he was okay.

"We're fine!" Naruto scowled deeper before looking back at the instigator of his irritation. "Just stand the damn thing up so we can turn it easier."

Sasuke smirked and retorted, "I was wondering when if an oaf like you could actually think of that."

"Why you—"

"Alright!" Iruka cut in, entering full teacher mode in an instant. "Save it, you two. I may have lifted the 'no fighting' rule until Mizuki is dealt with, but I obviously thought too much of you. So, I'm amending the rule to no fighting outside of training or I _will_ fail you as promised. Got it?" Iruka threatened. He knew the peace that had lasted this long was too good to be true. Naruto was just too much of a hothead and Sasuke simply had the personality that naturally provoked him. "Now, go to sleep and recuperate from today. You may be in good shape, Naruto, but you'll still be sore from the exertion because your body isn't used to it."

His brother scoffed, but nodded, completely missing the fact that he had not included Sasuke in that sentence. If Iruka's hunch was correct -more than a hunch, if their spar was anything to go by-, the black eyed teen would be more than used to their activities of the day. He himself had not been on a mission in well over 3 months, but the almost nonstop training from age twelve to eighteen plus the freelance missions had helped him keep his edge regardless.

Iruka supervised the transportation of the air mattress from his room to Naruto's, more to prove a point to his blond idiot than actually needing to keep an eye on them. As soon as that was done and the boys seemed to settle down relatively peacefully, exhaustion finally settled on lithe shoulders when Iruka went to his room to change his clothes.

He had just pulled on his sleeping shorts when he heard a voice come from the bed. "And here I was, looking forward to taking all that off for you."

Iruka whipped around and wondered just how many more times the blasted man was going to sneak up on him like that. Just who in the hell was he to be able to move without so much as alerting a hyper-sensitive ex-assassin like Iruka? He only barely stopped himself from blurting the question out loud, instead opting to blush in answer, for once grateful to the rush of colour in his face.

Kakashi chuckled and crossed his arms behind his head, resting against the pillows and looking for all the world as if he were reclining in his own bed. "But, it's just as well," he said after a moment, observing a hesitant Iruka as he shifted his weight next to the bed. "Maybe it would be best if I went elsewhere to retire for the night." The little sensei looked just about ready to explode from either embarrassment or sudden nervousness. Possibly both.

Despite his own desire for the chocolate haired man, Kakashi was very considerate when he needed to be. When dealing with a skittish colt, it was always better to leave them with an escape route so they would not feel threatened, which is exactly how he was going to treat Iruka until he was more comfortable around the businessman. He doubted he would be able to resist popping up out of nowhere every once in a while, but startling the assassin would likely lead to a disastrous outcome sooner or later.

Kakashi got out of the bed and made his way around the room to face the shorter male with a kind smile. Placing a gentle kiss to a cinnamon forehead, he murmured, "Goodnight, Ruka."

He turned to leave, fully intending on sleeping on the couch for the night, but could not stop the smile that flashed across his lips as a warm hand caught his wrist. Kakashi carefully schooled his face into mild surprise and curiosity before turning back to his companion.

"You don't have to go," Iruka murmured. He noted the slight hesitation Iruka was still showing, but did not resist when the chocolate haired sensei pulled him in to press their lips together. The overall shyness of the kiss reminded Kakashi of his partner's inexperience and he finally figured out the reason behind his hesitation. Really, he should have seen it earlier, but he was only human after all.

Kissing the shorter man was always a sweet little thrill that no other had ever been able to offer Kakashi. Vain celebrities and gold-digging business associates were usually the type to proposition the elite business tycoon, and Kakashi was not so stuck up as to turn all of them down. Though, he would not trade Iruka's company for any of them. The fullness of his lips and almost imperceptible gasp as they connected made Kakashi hungry for more and more every time.

Hands found their way around the lithe, cinnamon toned body to press him closer and deepen the kiss. Iruka eagerly gave up control, parting his lips for the questing tongue and allowing Kakashi to rove the territory as if it were his own.

When Iruka felt the edge of his bed against the backs of his legs, he gave no resistance as he was laid across it gently. Everything seemed to slow down as compared to the night before. Tonight, the little sensei was surprised at his comfort around the other man in place of the nervous apprehension and slight guilt because of the situation going on outside of the bedroom.

Mizuki was out there, quite possibly planning his next attack, and Iruka could summon no worry over the matter. All he could think about was having Kakashi's hands on him and damned if he was not going to have it.

Not long after the wish was born was it granted. The pale hands slid from their place on his back to brush against his sides sensually. One found its way to that special scar on Iruka's hip that was oh so sensitive, while the other traveled north to tweak a dusky nipple. Lips kissed their way down a tanned jaw to the column of exposed throat, eliciting the most delicious whimper.

Iruka gasped aloud when he felt sharp teeth nip playfully at his neck, right over his thundering pulse. A soothing lick was swept across the offended area and soon replaced with Kakashi's lips. The slight burn that followed Iruka's moan of pleasure told him that he was going to have a mark there in the morning. It was a good thing teachers generally wore collared shirts, just in case the bruise lasted until school on Monday.

Just as that sinful mouth had found its way from collarbone to nipple, Iruka belatedly realized that Kakashi was once again still fully dressed while he was only in shorts. A small growl of discontentment escaped his throat before he flipped them over with skills he had never used outside of fighting. Though, with Kakashi, the two situations seemed thrillingly similar and interchangeable. Iruka's lips mashed against the thin ones that were so addictive, nimble fingers running up that perfect body to undo the buttons of Kakashi's shirt. The other male grunted his approval, gripping tanned hips and gently rocking their growing excitement together.

As soon as that damnable piece of cloth was completely undone, Iruka nearly ripped it in his haste to get his hands on that marvelously sculpted body. He could feel Kakashi's skin shiver under his touch, muscles twitching with sensation and anticipation. Now Iruka took his time, intentionally torturing his partner with light brushes of his fingertips over pale nipples. The delicious groan drawn out from his ministrations was swallowed eagerly as Iruka ventured his tongue into Kakashi's mouth. The new territory was explored thoroughly and given an equally enthusiastic welcome.

Kakashi splayed his fingers along Iruka's spine, sending tremors through sensitive skin. He knew what he wanted, and this was exactly it. He wanted Iruka to quiver under his touch, to revel in it. The fiery teacher/assassin that had managed to catch his attention was going to be held responsible for every urge and desire he evoked from the ex-soldier.

And Kakashi was going to make him pay in full.

Moans fell out of both male's mouths as Kakashi deliberately rubbed their erections together with a lift of his hips. He rolled them over once again, standing to remove the last pieces of his clothing as Iruka did the same.

Before Kakashi could get back into the bed, the lithe sensei stopped him with a hand to his chest. With slow movements so as to be avoided if Kakashi so wished, Iruka lifted his hands to remove the black wrap that covered the beautifully bizarre eye. He ran his thumb over the pale eyelid softly before it fluttered open. "It suits you," he murmured after a moment, placing gentle kisses along the scar.

Ever since their conversation the previous night, Iruka had been completely unafraid of seeing his scars. What Kakashi had told him struck home and shook his very foundations for the better, it seemed. He was by no means completely healed, but with time Iruka believed that he could be. To him, acknowledging Kakashi's scar was a portrayal that he had accepted his own.

Comprehension lit up in the mismatched eyes. Kakashi replied with, "Just as yours suit you." Returning the gesture, strong hands cupped Iruka's face with gentleness only he could evoke and kisses were trailed lightly over the scar crossing his nose, the scar that marked the beginning of the sensei's dark past.

Kakashi's fingers deliberately lingered over the intricate designs that laced his partner's skin as he ran his hands over Iruka's shoulders and down his back. Pressing their foreheads together for a final moment of quiet intimacy, the silver haired businessman simply breathed in tandem with his new lover.

Before long, carnal need overtook them both once more and their lips were sealed together as Kakashi nudged and maneuvered Iruka onto the bed. Propped up against the pillows, the young sensei had a very clear view of that head of soft, silver strands making its way to his proudly erect manhood. Thin lips pressed a kiss to his favourite spot on his hip before slowly taking the blushing head between them. Kakashi had angled himself just right so his little assassin could see every bit of what he was doing to him.

Iruka had to fight the urge to close his eyes and throw his head back in pleasure. He wanted to see it all. Every flex of muscle as Kakashi bobbed up and down along his shaft. The very sight of it was fanning the heat growing in his lower abdomen that much faster. Soon enough, Iruka was panting and outright moaning as he thrusted shallowly into the wetness that was surrounding him. He could feel that familiar coil in his belly, foretelling the impending release, and tried to warn the owner of the sinfully talented mouth that was wrapped around him.

"Ka-Kakashi…mmhh…" Iruka stuttered, suppressing the groan that wanted to tumble from his lips. "I-I'm gonna-ahh… hah… I c-can't…"

He seemed to get the message and gripped the base tightly, effectively warding off the orgasm. The silverette leaned up to catch kiss-swollen lips with a ravaging hunger. Iruka never thought tasting himself mixed with another would be so intoxicating or arousing. Eager for more of anything Kakashi had to offer, the smaller male laced his fingers through silver hair, deepening their lip-lock. Later, they would not be able to remember who had moaned into whose mouth at that particular moment.

Kakashi pulled back, staying a hairsbreadth away from the other man, and panted a single word that had tingles of anticipation and nervousness shooting through Iruka's entire body. "Lube?"

All thought left the little sensei's mind right at that moment. Words failed him, but luckily his body caught up to his desire much faster than his mind did. Iruka's hand promptly shot out to the side and pointed to the top drawer of the bed stand. Without a second thought, Kakashi reached over and plucked the small bottle of clear fluid out of its compartment.

It was almost full, seeing as how it was only used once and even then it had been used painfully sparingly. Iruka had been meaning to throw it away, but had somehow ended up too busy or distracted every time the opportunity arose. He was plenty glad right then that he had not gotten rid of it.

Kakashi slicked up three of his fingers liberally, offering a peck on Iruka's lips before moving to his neck to distract him from the awaiting discomfort. A single, wet digit circled his entrance, making the smaller male tense up at the foreign sensation. He used every ounce of skill he had to force all of his muscles to completely relax, feeling the ones he needed to loosen up defy him before finally softening slowly but not completely. At this cue, the finger slipped in smoothly, coaxing the inner muscles to stretch around the intrusion.

Iruka was used to more severe pain than this, barely making a face at the weird feeling of something moving in and out of him. He winced slightly when the second finger was added and Kakashi nipped at his neck to distract him before kissing the spot in apology. The third finger provided a slight sting followed by the slow burn of pain from being stretched as Kakashi probed around inside him, coating his passage evenly with the clear substance. The brunette could barely suppress his hiss of distress, but something happened just then that had Iruka's back bowing backwards as pure lightning shot through his being.

"What the hell was _that?_" he wheezed, stars fading from his vision.

Kakashi chuckled huskily into Iruka's neck before answering. "_That_," he said, pressing the same spot inside him again, enjoying the groan of pleasure the cinnamon teacher let out, "is how I am going to make you come undone."

Kakashi thrust his fingers slow and deep with no real rhythm, alternatively grazing and jabbing that special place that made Iruka see stars. Moans fell from his full lips as he was shown yet another pleasure he had never even dreamed of. The one and only time he had ever had sex before this was hurried and painful.

Apparently, Iruka had talked to someone earlier that particular day that made Mizuki jealous. Training ended for the night and Iruka found himself dragged into one of the many unused rooms in the hideout to be attacked by the white haired teen. At the time, it did not take much to get Iruka in the mood because he had grown used to the way Mizuki worked and was grateful for whatever pleasure he was given. A couple of drops of lubrication from a small bottle later, Mizuki had him bent over crudely with no preparation whatsoever. The pain almost outweighed the pleasure, but Iruka made no move to stop him. Compared to the heavenly ministrations Kakashi was giving him, Mizuki was a complete and total mistake.

Thankfully, everything with Kakashi has been so different, new, and utterly wonderful that all of those thoughts of his past sexual experiences were being deleted and replaced by the bliss he made Iruka feel. He was immensely enjoying everything the silverette did to him, proven by the slight roll of his hips as he moved with the fingers inside him. Deciding he was stretched enough, the larger male withdrew his fingers, brushing against Iruka's prostate teasingly.

Whining slightly at the sudden loss of pleasure, chocolate brown eyes widened as they saw what was about to enter him. The night before, it had been too dark to see much of anything and Kakashi had not even given him the chance to return the favor. Seeing the erection he had only gotten the feel of through clothing sent swirling arousal and anxiety through Iruka's mind.

_How the hell is that supposed to fit inside me?_

Lips cut off his train of thought, pushing him to lie down completely. "Just relax, Ru," Kakashi mumbled into the kiss. "I'll take care of you."

Trust had never been one of the ex-assassin's strong points, but he forced himself to extend some to the man hovering above him. Kakashi pulled his legs up, anchoring them with his arms as he positioned himself. With one more kiss to soothe him, Iruka felt Kakashi push into him slowly.

Kakashi was definitely bigger than three fingers. The burn of pain was much more intense than before and went deeper and deeper as he felt the other male fill him completely. As soon as he was fully sheathed, Kakashi froze in place, allowing his lover to adjust to the girth. Iruka's hands reached out to find some sort of purchase, something to grab onto. They settled for the pale shoulders above them, gripping tight enough to bruise and leaving crescent shaped marks where Iruka's fingernails involuntarily dug into the skin.

The ex-assassin concentrated on his breathing, sucking it in and releasing it evenly, if a little shakily. He could feel light pecks being peppered along his jaw line, reminding him of Kakashi's promise to take care of him. Gradually, Iruka's body unclenched itself to accommodate the new intrusion. When the pain had dulled down to a mild ache, the little sensei experimented with his hips, causing the man above him to shiver at the slightest movement.

"I think you can move now," Iruka grunted, hoping he was right.

With agonizing slowness, Kakashi pulled out of him a little before pushing back in with shallow thrusts. Adding movement lessened a fraction of Iruka's discomfort as the sensation of being filled repeatedly began to feel good. Just as he was wondering what had happened to that special spot within him, Kakashi adjusted his hips ever so slightly and Iruka was once again shivering in delight. A few well aimed thrusts later had the last vestiges of pain fading entirely. Iruka let out a small whimper of encouragement, moving his hips against Kakashi to get him to pick up the pace.

The businessman was only too happy to oblige him. Shallow thrusts lengthened each time until Kakashi was almost pulling out completely. As soon as he could tell Iruka was comfortable with the movements, he unhooked his arms from beneath nicely toned legs to press their bodies closer together. Kakashi felt the freed limbs wrap themselves around his waist and pull him even deeper into the velvety heat. Once more reminded that he was the first to show the little teacher pleasure, true pleasure, Kakashi moaned softly into Iruka's shoulder.

Pale arms wrapped around the honey toned man, adjusting the angle of Kakashi's thrusts for a final time so he was no longer simply brushing against his prostate. He was now hitting it _dead on_.

Iruka would not have been able to hold in the groan of pure ecstasy if he had tried. He used the new leverage he had on Kakashi's hips to match him thrust for thrust, inevitably making them go faster.

Higher and higher and higher their pleasure rose in waves, threatening to crash down on them both. Neither paid attention to who was making what noise, only noticing how the other moved and responded accordingly on an instinctual level. Kakashi snaked his hand in between them to pump the leaking erection in time with their thrusts.

It only took a few strokes before Iruka unraveled, letting out a hoarse cry of total abandon. He could feel the aftershocks of pleasure spike through him as Kakashi kept going towards his own completion. Not long after, he felt the pale haired man go rigid with a growled moan and warmth spread inside him.

They stayed like that for a few moments, catching their breath. As soon as their racing hearts slowed down, Kakashi pulled out as gently as he could, leaving a dazed teacher sprawled across the mattress. Iruka felt the bed shift under the weight of his new partner as he went to rummage through something across the room.

Just as he was wondering what he was doing, pale hands were back, smoothing a cloth over his abdomen to clean up the result of his orgasm. Blood somehow managed to find its way back up to his face as the cloth moved in between his legs to wipe away Kakashi's own evidence. He could hear the businessman's chuckle as he finally cleaned himself and tossed the cloth over to the dirty clothes and settled down next to Iruka.

Euphoria lingered in his mind as exhaustion crept into his limbs, but Iruka still had enough thought processes to get under the blanket. He felt Kakashi do the same behind him just as warmth was pressed up to his back and draped over his waist. A sigh of contentment left tanned lips before Iruka allowed himself to slip off into another night of the best sleep he would have for a while.

. . . . . .

Sasuke woke up warm and comfortable, despite having spent the night on an air mattress. He let out a sleepily content sigh and snuggled back into the heat behind him, causing the body pressed up to him to respond in kind.

_Wait a minute…_

Onyx eyes snapped open in full alertness and surveyed their frozen owner's current predicament, only half believing what they saw. Sasuke's pale hand contrasted ascetically against the sun-kissed wrist it was loosely gripping against his chest. The steady swell and fall of pressure he felt on his back, coupled with the slight brush of air against the nape of his neck, told him there was indeed someone behind him. Slowly, he lifted the arm draped across him and slipped out of the bed, careful not to disturb the person he had unknowingly shared it with.

Sasuke had been standing at the edge of the air mattress trying to understand the situation for a good while before finally coming to grips with it.

He had just been cuddling with Naruto. _And he liked it._

He knew he would never admit it to anyone else, much less to himself, but the evidence was as blatant as it was unbelievable. From the way the blankets were falling from the bed down onto the air mattress, Sasuke deduced that the blond idiot had simply rolled off the edge of his bed. How he had managed to do that was as easy to figure out as the teen's general clumsiness. The real mystery lay in how the hell Sasuke slept through it, not to mention how he could have subconsciously _welcomed_ it.

Shaking his head and deciding it was not worth the headache he could feel coming on, the raven haired teen went to his bag to grab a change of clothes. A note was sitting right at the top of his belongings, folded neatly. It read:

_"Got called into the office. I won't be back until later tonight. Gai and the others are still watching the house, so try to keep them there would you?"_

Sasuke scoffed under his breath. The last bit of the note was completely unnecessary and that damn prick knew it when he wrote it. He crumpled the paper and tossed it back into his bag on his way out, closing the door behind him on his way to the bathroom. As soon as he was done changing he put his clothes into the machine to be washed, or rather Naruto's clothes since his bag had only held spare clothes for the one day.

Sasuke slowed his steps as sounds bounced around the hallway from the kitchen. Seeing as his guardian was gone, Naruto was still sound asleep, and Gai was on patrol, there could only be one person clinking around in the kitchen. Iruka stood at the stove with a spoon in hand, pouring some sort of batter onto a frying pan.

"Good morning, Sasuke," he said over his shoulder. The teacher turned back to what appeared to be pancakes, humming a happy tune. The teen nodded and offered a greeting in return, opening the fridge for a bottle of water.

Silence settled between the two of them, the only noise coming from the cooking food. Once again, Sasuke noticed the scarred teacher was wearing short sleeves, baring his forearms and some of his biceps. Remembering the story behind the markings sparked a different memory that had earlier been ignored when Naruto had told him.

When he had first begun living with Kakashi, Sasuke had natural suspicions about the man stemmed from his ability to best him in a fight. The most logical thing to do was gather information about his new guardian, including breaking into the businessman's personal study and going through every drawer and file.

He had found a rather disturbing amount of photos taken of various corpses that had strange etchings on their skin; coupled with more than a few pages worth of notes that mentioned his (supposedly) recently deceased mentor in relation to a serial killer that called himself 'Kyuubi'. Those etchings were almost an exact similarity to the scars along Iruka's arms, and apparently the rest of his body.

Not for the first time, the black eyed teen tried to put all of the pieces together without knowing how close he was to the truth. Naruto had only been able to tell the story from his 6 year old point of view, so there were likely many missing details in his memory, but that did little to deter Sasuke's calculations.

The fact that the brothers had been kidnapped by this so-called Kyuubi and survived was irrefutable; the evidence obvious on Iruka's arms and Naruto's face.

Taking into account Iruka's unique yet familiar fighting style with Kyuubi's affiliation with Orochimaru, led to some interesting questions that he doubted Naruto would know the answers to. The main question in his mind was: what had intrigued Orochimaru about a young Iruka that would prompt him to take him under his wing after having him tortured so?

The silence around them finally broke with Sasuke's reverie as the honey-toned teacher spoke the words he himself had been itching to say for the past couple days.

"We need to talk."

Iruka set the spatula on the counter after placing the last fluffy pancake on the stack and finally turned to his student solemnly. His eyes were heavily guarded, but just as curious as the teen's across from him. Each was sizing up the other, gauging which questions were likely to be asked against which ones should, would, or even could be answered. Finally, Sasuke merely nodded his agreement.

"How old were you when you started training with him?" Iruka asked, knowing Sasuke would understand exactly whom he was referring to.

That bluntness was actually what he liked most about his teacher, as opposed to the beat-around-the-bush tactics a certain damnable ex-soldier always used. Sasuke decided that he would give the same courtesy he was being offered. "Thirteen," he replied simply. "What about yourself?" he asked, almost daring Iruka to deny anything.

A moment of silence passed before Iruka took a breath and said, "Twelve." He busied his hands with gathering the rest of the breakfast materials and continued with another question. "How old were you when your parents were killed?"

"Seven."

Iruka grew silent, chewing on the information and trying to reason out the math. "So, it was six years before he took you," he stated. He was about to continue, but was interrupted.

"I went willingly," Sasuke corrected.

The gears in his mind must have stopped at that point, because surely he had just heard wrong. "Did you just…?"

Sasuke simply shrugged and crossed his arms across his chest. "He came to me with the promise of making me strong enough to avenge my family."

When he offered no more explanation, Iruka inquired cautiously, "And did you avenge them?"

"I would say so, considering I killed him a couple years ago," Sasuke stated bluntly. "This leads me to wonder why Mizuki would even bother to mention Orochimaru."

"That's what I would like to know… considering I killed him almost ten years ago," Iruka stated with just as bluntly.

Both of their minds were sent reeling, trying to make sense of what the other had told. If Iruka had killed Orochimaru before Sasuke had even begun his training, how could he have killed him a mere two years ago?

"Could be an alias," Iruka thought aloud. "The person in charge could change, but keep the name and system."

"Could be," Sasuke agreed, not really believing it.

They spent the next few minutes in silent contemplation, each gnawing on the new data. Trains of thought were halted by the sound of a door opening and a very loud, obnoxious yawn that could only belong to none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

The tense atmosphere settled on the back burners of the ex-assassins' minds as the blond haired moron walked into the room groggily, scratching at his belly absentmindedly. Without a single glance to either of the other two males, Naruto went straight to the fridge for his morning orange juice. By the time he turned around, almost half of the liquid was gone.

Releasing the bottle dramatically, he gasped loudly for breath and saluted his brother and rival. "Mornin' guys. How'd ya sleep?" he asked with his signature, goofy grin aimed directly at his brother teasingly. Not even giving time for an answer, he belatedly realized what was sitting next to the stove. "PANCAKES!" he exclaimed, scrambling for his seat at the table with fork and knife at the ready in his fists.

The dark haired males looked at each other over the blond's antics and just shook their heads, grateful for the change of atmosphere to a lighter one. The pancakes did not take very long to cook and soon had all of them happily chowing down.

. . . . . .

A/N: Whew, that took forreeevvveerrrr… Again, I am so sorry for the lateness of this chapter and hope that you all can forgive me.

REVIEW PLEEAASSEEE!


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